The Dead In Christ Will Rise First

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. 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. 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. 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. 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 forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

We will not forget the vigils in our lives, for our mothers and fathers, wives, daughters.

The people who die will have a profound effect on us. There is an irreversible finality of death. The people who die are gone from this world. Our hearts will have vacancy signs on them.

Yet, even in the midst of such loss and grief, God’s Word speaks encouragingly into the emptiness. The apostle Paul teaches us that at the coming of the Lord Jesus, those who have gone on before will rise first, and then we will be caught up with them.

We are told Christians never say goodbye. Ultimately it is a reunion.

O Death, where is your sting?

Our Daily Bread – September 27, 2014