Your Hope

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.
 
PAUL teaches to Thessalonica what Jesus taught him about Jesus’ Second Coming. Paul is confident this teaching is according to the Lord’s own word. Paul spent time in Arabia (Galatians 1:16-17) in study of God’s prophetic Word from the Old Testament. And he had personal time with the risen Savior. Paul is a true apostle who has had a personal teacher-student relationship with Jesus. The apostle taught what Jesus has taught him. According to the Lord’s own word, we should have a clear understanding of Jesus’ coming on the Day of the Lord.
   Here’s what we know from this passage of God’s inspired Word. We know those who have died in Christ are spiritually alive with Christ. We know they will come with him. We know their dead bodies will resurrect and rise to meet their souls in the air. We also know the Christians who are alive on earth will join Jesus and all in the air.
   How can we know? Paul and other writers give four reasons: The first two are Jesus’ death and resurrection. We believe that Jesus died and rose again. Paul reminds the church of the foundation of their faith. To believe and know this resurrection truth is life everlasting.
   Because Jesus died and then lived again, Jesus is in heaven. Here is the martyr’s Stephen’s testimony just before his death: Acts 7:56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”  Fourth, we also trust that the soul of each person who dies believing in Jesus goes to heaven be with Jesus. Luke 23:43 Jesus answered (the repentant thief), “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
   These four reasons lead to the end-time prophecy, “So we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”
          There are many views of Jesus’ Second Coming. Our only view must be what Scripture tells us.