Death Is Not the Final Sentence of the Story - 1 Thessalonians 4-5

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (ESV)

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

The above section is the end of a long paragraph about what believers should expect regarding death and the return of Christ.   Paul starts the paragraph like this:

1 Thessalonians 4:13 (ESV)

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

Paul does not want us ignorant about death and our grieving over those who die before us.   He wants us to be completely informed.  He gives, in this paragraph, three areas we should be aware of and rejoice over.  They each begin with the word for.   The above statement is the third for. The word is used to give a reason for something said prior.   We are not to be ignorant for this reason(s).    The above for tells us that we should be informed that at some point Jesus is coming back to the earth.  He is returning.   This is normally referred to in theology as the rapture of the church.   We are told the following truths about this return by Jesus:

1. Jesus is in heaven and will descend from there to us. 

2. Jesus will descend from heaven with authority (a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God). 

3. When Jesus arrives to the earth all those who have died will rise.   From other Scripture we realize that those who died and have gone to heaven will return with Jesus and their bodies will be reunited upon this resurrection at His return.   

4.  Anyone who is a believer will, at this point, also rise with those who are now united with their raised bodies and we will all meet the Lord in the air.  

5.  We will, from this point, always be with the Lord (and those who were dead and are now raised). 

6. This is to be an encouragement to us regarding those who have died and for us, who will either die, or meet the Lord in the air.   

This passage is one of the dearest in all Scripture to remind us:

1. This world is not our home. 

2. Death does not win with believers and is not the final sentence of the book. 

3. We will be reunited with our family and friends who have died before us. 

4. We will be united with Christ, forever.  

Be encouraged!