(Audio version; Music: "Homesick (Live)" and "I Can Only Imagine" by: MercyMe)
Introduction
The Apostle
Paul says that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers,
authorities, powers and principalities of this dark world and against the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm (Eph 6:12). And it feels like
the battle has been particularly fierce all around the world for Christians the
last few years. A significant part of being a pastor is preparing Christians
for the battle they have volunteered for by becoming Christians. Unfortunately,
sometimes it feels like I spend all my time trying to prepare people for the
battle against those who would oppose God’s way and God’s rule. It’s an
important part of what God has called me to do but it’s not the most important thing God has called
me to do. The most important thing God has called me to do is offer people
hope—hope that this life is not all there is to life; that the life to come
spent in the presence of God will be a reward well worth our current and
momentary troubles.
I was
reminded of this when the mother of one of my friends passed away earlier this
week. She was a wonderful woman who was loved as a wife, mother, mother-in-law,
grandmother and friend who I had the pleasure of meeting a number of times. I
am thankful that before she became sick, we had the opportunity to talk very
briefly about her belief in Jesus. I didn’t think much about it at the time but
I had no reason to believe that God would be calling her home just a few months
later. The days have been tough on the family as it is with all families who
lose someone that has been near and dear to them. I’ve ministered to enough
families who have lost someone and are grieving and know that there are no good
answers to relieve the grief. There are only tears shed in common. Sometimes
the grief is so acute that the light of hope is reduced to a sputtering
flicker. But John writes in the Book of Revelation that there will be a day
when God Himself will wipe away our tears and there will be no more death or
mourning or crying or pain (Rev 21:4). In the midst of pain and sorrow that
feels like it is crushing the life out of you, you wonder how that could be
possible considering magnitude of your loss. It’s possible because through
Christ, the loss we suffer is only temporary because believers are only
separated by earthly death and there is an entire eternity to be spent together
for those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ. Without that promise then
there really isn’t any hope. But what if you knew that you would once again see
that person you lost; that person you love so dearly; that person you don’t
think you can live without? What if you knew that death wasn’t the end of life?
What if you knew that through Jesus, you would be reunited with all those who
also put their faith in Jesus and passed away before you? Would that rekindle
your light of hope a bit? Well that is exactly the hope all believers look
forward to When Jesus Comes Back.
Subject Text
1 Thessalonians 5:13-18
13Brothers,
we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve
like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14We believe that Jesus died
and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have
fallen asleep in him. 15According to the Lord’s own word, we tell
you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will
certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord
himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the
archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise
first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be
caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so
we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage each other
with these words.
Context
The church
in Thessalonica was just a few years old and very immature. Add to that the
persecution they may have been experiencing and it wouldn’t be an
understatement to say they were struggling. Also, they were struggling to come
to terms with Jesus’ anticipated return in light of the deaths of some of their
loved ones. The Thessalonians believed Jesus would return during their lifetime
so when their loved ones died or were killed and Jesus hadn’t returned, their
faith began to waiver. It was just as difficult to understand for the
Thessalonians as it is for us today when someone we love dies expectedly or
unexpectedly. Death has always been and will always be the ultimate enemy of
our earthly lives. It tears at the bond between family and friends. For some,
it shatters the hopes and dreams of their earthly lives. The Thessalonians
needed to learn that death would not have the final word over their lives or
the lives of those who died still believing in Christ. Paul wanted them to
remain faithful to the end because they would one day see their friends and
family again When Jesus Comes Back.
“As with
every member of the human family, first-century Christians came face to face
with their mortality. Many of them met early deaths at the hands of those who
hated Christ and all allied with him. Whether at the hands of zealous Jews
(like Paul before his conversion), angry Greeks, or ruthless Roman authorities,
persecution included stonings, beatings, crucifixions, torture, and death. To
be a follower of Christ meant to give up everything.”[1]
However, devotion to Christ in life and even in death leads to an eternity of
being united with God. But it also means that we will be reunited with those
followers who preceded us in death. That’s the message that Paul wanted the
Thessalonians to understand. Death was not the end of their relationships with
those they loved, it was a pause in their relationships. Instead, Paul wanted
them to know that all believers would one day be united and reunited When Jesus Comes Back.
Text Analysis
13Brothers,
we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve
like the rest of men, who have no hope.
If you
think about it, at the root of fear and doubt is the unknown. If you’ve ever
had small children then you’ve probably had to deal with the fear of monsters
under the bed or in the closet. The child’s fear is not rooted in what is known
but in what is unknown. They aren’t afraid because they know there are monsters
under the bed or in the closet. They are afraid because they don’t know that
there aren’t monsters under the bed or in the closet. As long as they don’t
know, they are afraid. But once you take them by the hand and together look
under the bed and in the closet, what was previously unknown is now known and a
child’s fear subsides. What Paul is doing in v. 13 is taking the Thessalonians by the hand so he can show them
that there are no monsters under the bed or in the closet.
Paul’s not
saying that those who have lost loved ones shouldn’t grieve. Even Jesus wept in
the midst of the grief surrounding the death of his friend Lazarus (Jn 11:35).
Paul’s point is that those who don’t know Christ experience grief at a depth
that believers need not experience. For the unbeliever, death means eternal
separation from those they love. For believers, death means only a temporal
separation during this life. That’s not to say the grief for believers is not
painful. I know from personal experience the deep and enduring pain of loss. I
lost my best friend, Dave, more than 10 years ago and it is still painful.
However, I grieve the loss of relationship in this life. I am thankful to
Christ that one day I will have a chance to see Dave again and enjoy his
company and friendship forever. I can’t even imagine the depth of pain and loss
that unbelievers experience who believe that this life is all there is to life.
Paul refers to those who have died
as having fallen asleep. Some have mistakenly interpreted this as meaning that
the souls of Christians who die are in a state of sleep until Christ awakens
them at His return. This interpretation, however, is unnecessary as there is
ample biblical and extra-biblical evidence to support the use of falling asleep
as a euphemism for death in the Ancient Near East. There is no intermediate
state for the soul as is suggested by Catholics who advance the idea of
purgatory. There is no biblical support for the Catholic theology of purgatory.
In fact, it is grossly unbiblical. It is an awful teaching by the Catholic
church that enslaves believers. The doctrine of purgatory claims believers must
first pass through purgatory and a period of suffering to expiate their sins
before they can go to heaven. Really? Why in the world did Jesus die on the
cross for our sins if we then have to pay for our sins as well? This is utter
foolishness. There is nothing we can or must do to atone for our sins. Jesus
did it all on the cross! Furthermore, Paul says that for Christians to be
absent from this life (or more specifically from the body) means they are present
with Lord (2 Cor 5:8).
“Believers
are as different from outsiders as day is from night, light from darkness,
wakefulness from sleeping, sobriety from drunkenness. In a similar way, when
facing ‘last’ or ‘ultimate things,’ believers are privileged to be able to face
death with hope, unlike non-Christians, who grieve as those without hope. The
unbelievers’ perception of reality crumbles in the face of death and cannot
adequately answer this threatening phenomenon.”[2]
14We believe that Jesus died and rose
again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen
asleep in him. 15According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that
we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will
certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
Honestly,
Jesus’ resurrection is the key to everything. If Jesus didn’t rise from the
dead then I am wasting my time. And every Christian that came before me wasted
their time. And every Christian that comes after me will be wasting their time
as well. The minute Jesus walked out of that tomb was the minute that death was
defeated. Because Jesus conquered death, Christians no longer have to fear
death. For Christians, death is no longer an unknown threatening phenomenon; no
longer the monster hiding under the bed or in the closet. Paul’s teaching in vv. 14-15 makes clear that the death of
our Christian loved ones is only a temporal separation and that When Jesus Comes Back, all those
Christians who died before His return will be with Him. It is hard for me to
imagine that day. Imagine seeing that beloved spouse again; or that child who
never should have died before his or her parents; or the mother or father that
meant the world to you; or that best friend whose death left a giant hole in
your life. Paul is saying that those people will be with Jesus at the Second
Coming referred to in the Greek as the Parousia.
Now that will be a party!
Paul says
that his teaching is consistent with the words of Jesus about His return but
there actually isn’t any written
evidence that Jesus said what Paul claims. Whether it was something that was
revealed to Paul by Jesus or whether it was something that was handed down
orally from the disciples is unknown. In any case, what Paul is saying is that
Christians who are still alive When
Jesus Comes Back will be reunited with those Christians who died before His
return. “Paul made an assertion of faith: We believe that Jesus died and rose
again. This is the bedrock of our faith, Paul then tied the truth of Christ to
the unknown future. Whatever Christ does,
his people follow. Where Christ is,
his people are there. Christ died and rose again. Christians who die (fall
asleep) will rise again. Christ will return again. Those who have died will
return with him…Paul’s primary concern was not to teach an eschatological
lesson but to assure and encourage the young church in Thessalonica. He did
this by stating with the authority of Christ’s own words, that everyone who is
alive on earth at the time of Christ’s coming will not go before those who have died. Paul was pointing the believers
away from grief toward hope regarding those who had died. The dead loved ones
will not miss out or come in in second place.”[3]
16For the Lord himself will come
down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with
the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
I know this
may sound strange to some of you but I sometimes find myself standing outside
looking up at the clouds in the sky; looking and listening; wondering if maybe
at that moment Jesus might come back. If you think I’m kidding, the text alert
on my phone is the sound of a shofar horn I envision as the sound announcing
Jesus’ return. It lets me know that someone has sent me a text message but it
is also a reminder that Jesus can return any moment—I want to be ready. Not
just because I want to be ready to meet my Lord and Savior but also because
there are a number of people who have gone before me that I can’t wait to see
again because v. 16 says that the
dead in Christ will rise first.
It can be
hard to wrap our minds around v. 16.
What is the loud command with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call
of God? “The Thessalonians demonstrated their faith by eagerly awaiting the
coming of Jesus, the Son of God, from heaven (1 Thess 1:3, 10). Eventually the
long-awaited Jesus will descend—this time not as a babe but with grand display
and heavenly entourage as befits the heavenly Lord himself...‘A loud command’
translates a single noun used only here in the New Testament. It was relatively
common in nonbiblical Greek, and in general it indicates an order or a signal
given to subordinates…The command could be issued from Jesus to the dead to
arise, from Jesus to his entourage to proceed, or an order to the heavenly
host.
The phrase ‘with the voice of the
archangel’ connotes the involvement of the heavenly host…The Lord is not alone
but is accompanied by an angelic entourage. The archangel functions either as
the herald proclaiming remarkable news—the arrival of the Lord—or calls the
angelic army to advance with the Lord.
The Lord’s
descent is also ‘with the trumpet call of God.’ A trumpet call was used for a
variety of purposes in the ancient orient but ‘was not much used as a musical
instrument; its main task was to give signals.’ It could herald a great event
or issue a warning to the people. It was often used in military settings. It
signaled the Hebrews’ encounter with Yahweh at Sinai and was used as part of
the pageantry at religious festivals. Finally, both Jewish and Christian images
of God’s arrival at the end to gather his people, execute judgment, and
establish his kingdom include the announcement of his arrival with the trumpet.
Used in conjunction the voice of the archangel and the shout of command and the
trumpet depict a grand fanfare. No one will be able to miss the event. No one
will fail to realize that something remarkable is about to occur.”[4]
17After that, we who are still
alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air.
This is the
reunion to beat all reunions. Can you imagine the tears of joy that will be
shed at the events described in v. 17?
When the Book of Revelation says that God will wipe away every tear, I wonder
if He won’t just allow the tears of joy at this grand reunion to flow like a
river that washes over all those who are present at what will likely be the
first of many celebrations shared with all those who are followers of Jesus
Christ.
“Clearly,
all believers—whether they are alive or have died at the time of Christ’s
return—will be together with one another and with the Lord forever. This
supernatural event will cause a great reunion among believers who are alive and
those who have already died. Both groups will experience Christ’s return
together. This joyous reunion will go on forever.
The verse
provides a clear picture of what is call the ‘rapture.’ But Paul does not say
exactly when this will happen in relationship to the other great event of the
end times: the tribulation. So there are three main views regarding the timing
of the rapture with respect to the tribulation:
1.
Pre-tribulationists point to the tribulation (described
in Revelation) that occurs before the Second Coming of Christ and believe that
the rapture of believers will occur before this time of tribulation. They
believe, therefore that believers will be in heaven while the earth goes
through a time of great tribulation. This view sees the believers meeting
Christ in the clouds, but places his Second Coming as later.
2.
Mid-tribulationists say that the rapture will occur at
the mid-point of the time period of tribulation. The believers will be on earth
for the first half of that time of tribulation but then will be raptured and
will escape the second half, which will be a time of intense suffering. This
view also sees Christ’s Second Coming as a separate and later event.
3.
Post-tribulationists believe that the believers will
remain on the earth during the time of tribulation prior to Christ’s Second
Coming. Then, when Christ returns in the clouds, believers will be caught up to
be with him.
While Christians may differ
regarding the timing of this rapture, all believe that it will happen and that
it will be a joyous reunion of all believers, living and dead. Paul’s point was
not to give his readers a timeline or a literal description of how all the
end-time events would fit together. Instead, he wanted to reassure the
Thessalonians that their fellow believers who had died would not miss out on
Christ’s return and the eternal Kingdom.”[5]
Application
Paul
provides the purpose; the application of this lesson in v. 18 when he says that we are to share these words with one
another as an encouragement. Whenever someone close to us dies, there are
inevitably those who ask the question, why? I’ve heard that question enough
times and I’ve even asked it enough times myself during the times of my own
grief. However, knowing the answer to the “why” question, unless it brings back
the person we’ve lost, really doesn’t matter does it? If you could suddenly get
back the person you lost, would it matter to you why they were taken in the
first place. It might be an interesting matter for discussion but as long as
you get that person back, I’m guessing you’d be fine with not ever knowing why
the were taken in the first place. For Christians, even though we might cry out
to God and ask “why” in our pain, it’s probably better to ask “when.” Not, why
did you take my friend or spouse or child or parent? But instead, when will I
see them again? For some of us, we will see believers we have lost during our
lives only when we ourselves pass from this life to the next. For others, they
will experience the greatest family reunion of all time during their lifetime When Jesus Comes Back.
There is
another lesson wrapped up in Paul’s encouragement to the Thessalonian believers
and by extension to all of us believers everywhere. The lesson is that for all
those who are encouraged by the hope of being reunited with believers who have
died, there are millions who don’t have that hope. The Parousia, for Christians, represents the culmination of all we hope
for—the beginning of spending eternity with Jesus. However, for unbelievers,
the Parousia represents the beginning
of God’s final judgment. The Parousia
means time is up for unbelievers to decide if they want to accept Christ as their
Lord and Savior. This lesson should also be an encouragement for believers to
redouble their efforts to share the salvation message of Jesus Christ with an
unbelieving world. It’s still not too late to reach those around you who
haven’t accepted Jesus. You have the message of hope—a hope that one day
believers will be reunited with other believers who have already died. Do what
you have to to reach unbelievers around you—pray; beg; plead—whatever it takes
to convince unbelievers that there is only one weapon against the ultimate
enemy that is death—hope. Hope of spending eternity with Jesus and
participating in the greatest reunion of all time that will include all
believers on the day When Jesus Comes
Back.
[1]
Introduction to 1 Thessalonians—NIV
Life Application Bible
[2] David A.
deSilva, An Introduction to the New
Testament: Context, Methods & Ministry Formation, (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 2004), p. 536.
[3] Knute
Larson, I & II Thessalonians, I &
II Timothy, Titus, Philemon—Holman New Testament Commentary, (Nashville,
TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2000), pp. 57-58.
[4] D.
Michael Martin, 1, 2 Thessalonians—The
New American Commentary, (Nashvile, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 1995), pp.
150-152.
[5] Bruce
Barton, Philip Comfort, Grant Osborne, Linda K. Taylor, and Dave Veerman, Life Application New Testament Commentary,
(Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), p. 906).
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