SJF - Daily Worship, Word and Spirit - Oct. 16, 2023

Be comforted in your heart when your friends and loved ones in Christ leave their earthly tents behind. They are caught up to heaven in Christ before those of us who remain here.

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, NKJV)

The loving Word of The LORD above says, “even so God will also bring with Him through Jesus those who have fallen asleep [in death].” (Amplified). I know that people disagree about the timing, but let’s leave it simple as this was meant as a comforting word to people of faith.  If you are absent from the body, you are present with The LORD.  If Jesus can meet with Moses and Elijah on a mountaintop outside of time, I wouldn’t argue about whether or not they are immediately in heaven or “postponed” according to the human understanding of time. Let’s use these words as they were intended by The Spirit of The LORD. It was given to a people who faced daily persecution and death to remind them that they are already seated with Christ in heaven and that should neither fear their own death nor mourn the death of loved ones in the same manner as someone who has no hope.