The Lord Himself
Will Come Down From Heaven
Brothers and sisters, we want you to know what happens to those
who die. We don't want you to be sad, as other people are. They don't have any
hope.
We
believe that Jesus died and rose again. When he returns, many who believe in
him will have died already. We believe that God will bring them back with
Jesus.
That
agrees with what the Lord has said. When the Lord comes, many of us will still
be alive. We tell you that we will certainly not go up before those who have
died.
The
Lord himself will come down from heaven. We will hear a loud command. We will
hear the voice of the leader of the angels. We will hear a blast from God's
trumpet. Many who believe in Christ will have died already. They will rise
first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up
together with them. We will be taken up in the clouds. We will meet the Lord in
the air. And we will be with him forever.
So
cheer each other up with these words of comfort.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
In
the first century, a group of believers in Thessalonica were afraid that their
believing loved ones who had died were gone forever and would miss out on the
second coming of Christ. Paul comforted them and let them know that was not the
case.
In
seasons of loss, we too can find comfort and hope because the Bible has given
us the right information.
Death is not a period – it is only a comma.
Our Daily Bread –