6/30/2023 0 Comments Fallen rapture![]() ![]() If we have believed in Jesus, we know that those who have died in Christ have eternal life and that they are with Him, for to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6–8), and that He will bring them with Him when He returns (1 Thessalonians 4:14). Even in grief the believer has hope, as Paul explains in the next few verses. Paul is not suggesting the Thessalonians should not grieve at all rather, he wants them to grieve, but not without hope. ![]() Grief is a normal, natural response to the loss we experience when someone dies-even Jesus grieved when He saw the pain associated with Lazarus’ death (John 11:35). Paul begins the section noting that he did not want the Thessalonians to be ignorant about those who had fallen asleep (i.e., died in Christ) so that they would not grieve as those who have no hope grieve (1 Thessalonians 4:13). In that section of chapter 4, we may ask, “What does it mean that the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16)? He commends them for their faith, love, and hope (1 Thessalonians 1:3) but acknowledges that he wants them to have more knowledge regarding their hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). ![]() In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he writes to commend the Thessalonians and to encourage them to excel still more (1 Thessalonians 4:1 and 10). ![]()
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