Paul the
apostle began to address a concern the Thessalonian church members
had which involved those who had died before Jesus' return. Their
worry was those who predeceased them would not be received by Jesus
when He came back again. In chapter four and verse fifteen of his
letter, Paul continued to share with them as he told them “we
shall not prevent them which are asleep” where we read:
For this
we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive
and
remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are
asleep.
The
verse begins, “For this we say unto you by the word of
the Lord,...” Paul began with
the word, “For”
which means “because, even, indeed, no doubt, seeing then,
therefore and verily” “this we say”
or “speak, teach, exhort, advise, command, direct, point out,
intend, mean to say, call by name and mention” “unto
you” which refers to the
Thessalonian church members “by the word”
or “decree, mandate, order and moral precepts given by God” “of
the Lord” which refers to “he
to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of
deciding; the master and title given to God, the Messiah”.
The declaration Paul is about to write had it's source in none other
than God Himself, and it is upon His authority this statement carries
veracity and truth.
The verse goes on to
say, “...that
we which are alive and
remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are
asleep.” Paul
continued, “that we”
which refers to “this group of people” “which
are alive”
or “who are breathing, among the living, and enjoying real life”
“and remain”
which means “leave over and survive” “unto
the coming”
or “arrival, advent and future visible return from heaven of Jesus
who will raise the dead, hold the last judgment, and set up formally
and gloriously the kingdom of God” “of
the Lord”
which refers to “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which
he has power of deciding; the master and title given to God, the
Messiah” “shall not prevent”
which is the Greek phrase “phthanō
ou mē phthanō” and
means
“come before, precede, anticipate or arrive before” “them
which are asleep”
which means “the ones who are caused to be quiet, calm and those
who die”. Paul assured the Thessalonian church members that people
who survive until the “Coming of the
Lord” would
not “come or arrive before” those who already died and believed
in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
As
we meditate upon Paul's words, we should be encouraged, especially if
we have people we know and love who were believers in Jesus and have
passed away. The Thessalonians were fearful that because Jesus had
not returned for His church as He promised, those who died would
never participate in the Heavenly Kingdom. Paul refutes this idea as
he assured the church members concerning those who “are asleep”.
As we think this through, and dear loved ones come to our minds, let
us be assured, the truth of these words was based upon “the word
of the Lord”, and there is no higher basis to place our trust.
The Jesus believing and trusting predeceased are with the Lord even
now, and when Jesus returns for His church, they will be among His
royal entourage.
Next
time Paul shares about the Lord descending “with a
shout”, so read ahead, and we
shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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