But I would not have you to be
ignorant, brethren, concerning
them which are asleep, that ye
sorrow not,even as others which
have no hope. For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again,
even so them also which sllep
in Jesus will God will bring
with Him. For this we say unto
you by the word of the Lord,
that we which are alive and
remain unto the coming of the
Lord shall not prevent them
which are asleep. For the Lord
Himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump
of God; and the dead in Christ shall
rise first: then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and
so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another
with these words.
1Thessalonians 4:13-18
I have repeated this Scripture on purpose due so many different interpretations that are confusing many people to believe what may not be true. Therefore we must dig in deeper, wade deeper into these verses to gain what the Bible actually is teaching. The Bethel School of the Supernatural here in Redding had some students go and lay on tombs to get some sort of anointing. When confronted they denied this practice but I have neighbors who attended such events and if this is true then there is a great misunderstanding about the dead. Let us get this one thing straight: When a person dies so does his/her body and that body decays or returns back to dust from which it was formed: "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust hour art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Genesis 3:19). Furthermore the dead know nothing, can do nothing: The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence" (Psalm 115:17). The writer of the Ecclesiastes wrote: "For the living know that they will die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is ow perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6). Then this writer writes: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and he spirit shall return unto god who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7). John wrote" "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for he witness of Jesus, and for the word of God and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Revelation 20:4).
Death is the result of sin, it is the one thing that God warned Adam about and for us as well, death is the result of sin. Jesus died a sinless man therefore His death changed everything for now by His life there can be life for the debt of sin against God had been paid. Christians should rejoice that this debt has been paid and that the souls of God's children are in His presence. The dust to which the body returns is under the protection of God, under His care and providence. Death for an Authentic Christian is not loss but gain. Sadness may come for a moment until you realize that that person is now with God never more to be subject to the ills of this world. The day will come, if Jesus tarries longer than your life, that you will die. As an Authentic Christian, one who has Authentic Christian Faith, you body will decay until the day that God resurrects your body to join with you spirit whereby with this new body: "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. there is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body" (1Corinthians 15:42-44).
This doctrine of the resurrection is a great antidote for the ills of this world that plague you, to give peace when a love one dies and sadness attempts to overcome you as this doctrine should do and that is to give to you assurance. How? Jesus Christ rose from the dead, alive forever, His death is effective forever, and those that sleep in death will rise again on the Last Day when Jesus comes to take His bride home to be with Him. What joy, what a glorious day that will be, Jesus will come down from heaven for you, for all of the children of God and with a shout of a loud sounding trumpet the dead will rise from death and those alive in Jesus Christ will all be caught up in the air to be with Him forever and those who are dead in their sins will no longer be, they cannot again bring sin into the world. Paul never speaks of the wicked, when they will rise for this raising will be no great moment for they will be thrown into the Lake of Fire, Gehenna.
Be comforted by these words and realize what God has planned for you, eternal life, a new body incorruptible. Anticipate this, allow this to drive you to serve Him in anyway you can. We are here on this earth but temporary and until either we die or go to Him alive, we have work, and that work is to grow in our relationship with Jesus and to take the Gospel to our world. Authentic Christians are in a safe state, do not allow anything to make you not allow this doctrine of hope to cause you to do that which God has commanded us not to do. God loved you before you were born and had already before the foundation of the world made a way of escape and this through the death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven by means of His Son, His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Praise God!
Incline your ear, and come unto me:
hear, and your soul shall live;
and I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, even the
sure mercies of David.
Isaiah 55:3
Allow the comfort of God to fill your life
Richard L. Crumb
No comments:
Post a Comment