Hope for those who Die. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14.
Dear Pilgrims and Sojourners,
Paul now turns to one of the major areas of concern for the Thessalonians – the fate of the believers who die before Christ returns. This seems to have caused the Thessalonians much sorrow and grief, supposing that those who died had missed out on the coming glorious appearing of Christ.
Purpose (v. 13). Paul and his companions are writing so as to fill a knowledge gap among the Thessalonians. Being ignorant about the fate of those who die, they seem to have grieved their loved ones the same way that the unbelievers did, apparently overcome with sorrow and despair. Paul deliberately uses the term “those who are asleep” to communicate the fact that believers are not dead in the sense of permanence. Sleep communicates the expectation of one waking up.
Precedent (v. 14). The hope of the dead waking up is not from the blue. The believers know that Christ died and rose again. This was a key tenet of the gospel. Elsewhere Paul writes, “For I delivered to you as of importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). So then, the idea of a person being raised from the dead is not foreign. Every true Christian begins with the resurrection of Christ as his basic belief. Take it another step and apply it to those who believe in Christ. God will “bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” This literally means that God will raise them with Christ. Their resurrection from the dead will be carried on the resurrection of Christ.
This is why Paul also said, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. All Christian hope hinges on Christ’s resurrection from the dead.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.