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1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Brothers, 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. 14 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 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. 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 forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
WHAT else is there to say about Jesus’ Second Coming? According to the Lord’s own word, we should have a clear understanding of Jesus’ appearance. We know those who have died in Christ are with Christ. We know they will come with him. We know their dead bodies will resurrect and rise to meet their souls. We also know the Christians who are alive will join Jesus and all in the air. How can we know? Paul gives us three reasons: First is Jesus’ death and resurrection. We believe that Jesus died and rose again is Paul’s reminder to the church that their faith is established on Jesus’ death and resurrection. Many then and throughout the centuries have attempted to prove that Jesus did not die. If there is no death, there is no resurrection. To the believer it seems naturally true to say, “Jesus died on a cross.” But this is one common fact often attacked. A second reason Paul can affirm Jesus’ return is to affirm Jesus’ resurrection. “Jesus rose again.” is another truth many have doubted and denied. Because Jesus died and rose, we can know Jesus is in heaven. We can trust, also, that the soul of each person who dies believing this goes to be with Jesus. That leads to the logical end-time prophecy, “So we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” The third reason Paul is confident in his teaching is that it is according to the Lord’s own word. Remember that Paul spent time in Arabia (Galatians 1:17) learning from the risen Savior. He is an apostle who has had a personal teaching relationship with Jesus. Paul is teaching what Jesus has taught him. There are many views of Jesus’ Second Coming. The only view is to examine Jesus’ own teaching of his return. Comments are closed.
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AuthorBob James Archives
February 2025
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