Saturday 13th May
Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For 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. 17 After 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 for ever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (NIVUK)
Why does the rest of mankind ‘have no hope’? (v13b). Some may have thought only Hades awaited. Some thought there was simply nothing but annihilation. Maybe the truly noble could hope of a spiritual life in the heavens. But Paul does not want the Thessalonican believers to be uninformed about those who have died. He does not want them to think that death before Jesus returned was unerringly sad.
He provides insight into what their hope really was. Perhaps the fear was that they would miss Jesus when He returned. They may not have just feared that death was the end, though I am sure that was included, but they feared they would miss Jesus Himself. Throughout these words from Paul it is the desire to be with Jesus that is central (v14b, v17c). That is at the heart of their hope. To be with the Lord for ever. Christ, our hope in life and death!
