1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 - The Future Resurrection - Falling Asleep

13 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. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 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. 17 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. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Target Date: Sunday, 5 February 2023

NOTES:

Word Study/ Translation Notes:

Uninformed - ἀγνοέω agnŏĕō – lit. un-knowing, ignorant.

Asleep - κοιμάω kŏimaō – from a root: laid out, stretched out – meaning asleep or dead.

The “nice” way or euphemism to speak of someone who has died. Similar to our “passed”.

This is contrasted in this passage with the ἀποθνῄσκω (apothnēskō) meaning just plain “died” in v.14 regarding Jesus.

This is also a different word than Jairus’s daughter, of whom Jesus said she was “sleeping” - καθεύδω kathĕudō (Mark 5:39). This word is lighter than koimao, meaning more of “lying down for a rest” or even “napping”.

This IS the same word Jesus used for Lazarus before He went to Bethany:

“Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.” 12 The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. 14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead - John 11:11-14

Also Stephen:

Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep. – Acts 7:60

Also used of David:

For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay; 37 but He whom God raised did not undergo decay - Acts 13:36-37

14 – even so – kai houtos – the houtos indicates that the second part of the sentence will be in “a like manner” as the first.

Since God raised Jesus from the dead, those who have died through Christ are likewise with Him.

Thoughts on the Passage:

Those who are believers “fall asleep” in Christ.

They are uncoupled from their fleshly body; they are never separated from Christ.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39

13 – The use of the word “asleep” seems to be used when the person is incomplete, un-whole. But when “dead” is used (as in verse 16), it is, for the believer, always paired with the resurrection.

I can find no example in the New Testament where an unbeliever is said to “fall asleep” in death; they just “die”.

The Greeks since Plato had a robust belief in the immortality of the soul, but it was shrouded in mystery and conflicting thoughts. In few instances were the dead happy.

These “others” here are “the Gentiles who do not know God” (v 5); to be without God is to be without hope (cf. Eph 2:12, ἐλπίδα μὴ ἔχοντες καὶ ἄθεοι ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ). The hopelessness of much of the pagan world of that day in the face of death is well illustrated by contemporary literary and epigraphic material. According to Theocritus (Idyll 4.42), “hopes are for the living; the dead are without hope” (ἐλπίδες ἐν ζῴοισιν, ἀνέλπιστοι δὲ θανόντες), and the lines of Catullus have been quoted already. A letter of condolence from the second century a.d. (P. Oxy. 115), addressed to a couple who had lost a son by a friend of theirs who had suffered a similar bereavement herself, says, “I sorrowed and wept over your dear departed one as I wept over Didymas, … but really, there is nothing one can do in the face of such things. So, please comfort each other.”

While Paul prefers to use κοιμᾶσθαι for the death of believers, neither he nor any other NT writer uses it for the death of Christ himself. In 1 Cor 15:20 Christ, being raised from the dead, is “the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (τῶν κεκοιμημένων), but he is nowhere said to have “fallen asleep” in this sense himself. This is not because the figure would have been thought inappropriate for death by crucifixion; it was no more inappropriate for death by crucifixion than for death by stoning, yet it is used of Stephen (Acts 7:60, ἐκοιμήθη). Chrysostom (Hom. 7, ad loc.) says that, whereas departed believers are called “those who are asleep,” it is said of Christ that “he died,” because the mention of resurrection immediately follows. But the use of the straightforward verb ἀποθνῄσκειν (to die) of Christ is probably intended to stress the reality of his death, as something not to be alleviated by any euphemism. The reality of his death points to the divine miracle accomplished in his resurrection. His people’s resurrection is a corollary of his, and therefore their death can be described as “falling asleep” in the new Christian sense of that figure, but there was no precedent for his resurrection. “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again,” the fullness of Christian hope follows. The continuing life of his people depends on, and is indeed an extension of, his own risen life (cf. Rom 8:11; also John 14:19, “because I live, you will live also”).

For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. – 1 Corinthians 15:16-18

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. – 1 Corinthians 15:20-22

Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. - Luke 16:22

So he who goes down to Sheol does not come up. 10 “He will not return again to his house, Nor will his place know him anymore. – Job 7:9-10

No other belief in the afterlife, whether from philosopher or false prophet like Muhammed, has their belief validated by Jesus Christ who passed through death.

14 – There is some slight difficulty in translation for the phrase “through Christ” in this verse. The difficulty lies in precisely placing this phrase with the phrase it modifies.

ESV seems to be least correct, opting for the phrase to modify the ACTION of God bringing the dead saints – that God is bringing them “through Jesus”.

KJV and NASB have a stronger claim to the correct syntax, having the phrase modify the state in which the saints died:

KJV - even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

NASB - even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

Ultimately, though, the Greek seems to make no issue at all of this English conundrum – the state of the believer in Christ is such that he is joined with Christ in death and in eternal life.

Sermon Text:

This morning we will begin looking at the doctrines of this letter that could be described as the Great Consolations of the Faith.

These great promises are meant to encourage believers, comforting them in their struggles, persecutions, and afflictions.

These comforting doctrines begin here in 4:13 and extend to 5:11.

Twice in this section, we see the command to “Comfort each other” or “Encourage each other” – 4:18 and 5:11.

That is why I call these the doctrines of Consolation.

The first great doctrine I would like to help us all to consider this morning is the doctrine of the Resurrection.

Not the Resurrection of Jesus Christ after the crucifixion, although that forms part of the doctrine.

No, it is the doctrine that all those who are in Christ will be resurrected from the dead on the Day of the Lord, at the Parousia, the Appearing, of our Lord Jesus Christ.

A lot of people, including many pagans, have a belief in life after death.

Many of them are convinced even that we have an immortal soul that will persist eternally regardless of the state of our bodies.

We see in the writings of Plato and other Greeks who lived centuries before Paul and Silas wrote this letter a belief in the immortal soul of all people.

And even in our day, many people have a conviction that there is a part of them, a soul, that can live separate from the body.

But as believers, we must be careful not to allow our doctrine to derive from philosophy or Hollywood or novels.

The only true source of our doctrine, our beliefs, is the singular word of God, the Bible.

And the only reliable authority on what comes after the grave is the One who died, was buried, and was raised – Jesus Christ.

All else in the world and in the false religions is speculation and conjecture.

Only the Scriptures give us the truth of death and the life to follow.

The first thing we see in our passage today is that this particular doctrine appears to have been one the apostles did not quite get to before they were compelled to leave Thessalonica.

When they say “We do not want you to be uninformed”, we can see that this was not the most vital doctrine to a new convert.

This set of doctrines, which typically fall under the heading of Eschatology or the End Times, is NOT the most important doctrine and must not be treated as such.

Even our 1689 Confession, out of the 32 Articles, deals with the Resurrection of the dead in article 31, and the Last Judgment in article 32.

And in all these articles, the order or timing of the events of the Return of Christ are barely dealt with, except where those events touch on other doctrines.

That is not to say that the study of eschatology is worthless, only that there are many more important things in our doctrine to master.

But then we get to the heart of our subject for this morning: we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep…

That word “asleep” is interesting even though we know exactly what the writers mean here.

When they say “asleep” in this context, they mean “those who have died”.

To speak of someone “asleep” in this context was a nice way of saying they were dead;

Much like when we today might say someone had “passed”.

We call that a “euphemism”, which means using a gentler word instead of a harsher one.

We see it in the book of Acts at the stoning of Stephen:

Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep. – Acts 7:60

Some might ask if that ever caused misunderstandings, and we know for certain it did.

In John 11, we read that Jesus got word that His friend Lazarus was ill to the point of death – and so He waited four days before beginning His journey to Lazarus’s home in Bethany.

Just before they set out, the disciples asked Him why He was taking so long to begin the journey, and Jesus answered them:

“Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.”

That was the same word Paul and Silas use here: asleep.

But the disciples misunderstood what Jesus was saying:

12 The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”

So John explains:

13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. 14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead – John 11:11-14

So with the possible misunderstandings, why do Paul and Silas continue to use the word “asleep”? Why not just say “dead”?

It is certainly not a fear of death – we see that in the fearlessness with which they approach it here.

Rather, the word “asleep” gives us several important things we can learn about the state of the believer whose eyes are closed and heart is stopped.

1. Someone who is sleeping EXPECTS to be awakened.

For many of us, one of the last things we do before we lie down for the night is to check our alarms.

Because we have things to do tomorrow, ideally things that are more important than we did today.

When we close our eyes in sleep, we expect to wake in the morning refreshed and ready to work faithfully for the Lord tomorrow.

By using the term “asleep”, which is based literally on the verb to “stretch out” or “lie down”, the New Testament writers unanimously attest to the fact that when those in Christ fall asleep, they will unfailingly awaken again.

Even should their heart stop beating;

Even if their lungs stop breathing.

One day, they will awaken.

When He arrived at the side of Lazarus’s grave, Jesus told Martha:

he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. – John 11:25-26

Martha had already expressed her faith that her brother would be resurrected on the last day,

But Jesus was there to PROVE the truth of that belief by raising Lazarus up a little early.

2. Sleeping is not forever – it will end.

Similar to the first point, no one expects to sleep forever.

The night may be long, but the morning will come. The DAY will come.

There will be a point where the night ends, and the day begins.

When a believer in Christ sleeps in death, they exchange the remainder of time in this darkened, fallen world for the immediate glory of the Presence of Jesus Christ.

to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. – 2 Corinthians 5:8

And with that, we should understand that there is not some spiritual slumber that will occur, some “soul-sleep”, but a complete transfer from the moment of death into the presence of God.

3. Sleeping is not terrifying, but safe and restful.

When you are stressed or nervous or terrified, you fight to stay awake, incapable of rest of any sort.

Some of you may have had the experience where worry or fear drove the sleep from your eyes.

Where every time you laid down, you could only concentrate on the troubles you dreaded.

In his famous “To be or not to be” scene that begins the third act of Hamlet, William Shakespeare has Hamlet ask “What dreams may come” in death? He speculated on nightmares that would not end.

But 1600 years before, our apostles answered that concern: those believers who sleep sleep in Jesus Christ.

Safer than a baby in her mother’s arms, we are held by Him safe against that day.

There is nothing a believer has to fear from death; it is not able to separate us from the love of Christ:

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39

For those who face death with warning, there may naturally be fear or grief.

It is, after all, still a matter of faith;

So doubts may arise, understandable apprehension at the change from what we have known to what we have only seen at a distance.

And for those left behind, there is natural grief:

Missing the loved one who has gone to be with the Lord.

Concerns for the change in your life.

Fearing for your own mortality.

But the apostles encourage us:

[Do] not grieve as others do who have no hope.

You have a hope, and that hope is firmly in Christ Jesus.

4. Sleeping is natural, even necessary.

Death is the end of all men – everyone who has lived will die unless they are among those who live to see the Day of the Lord.

Even our sinless Lord died.

And He was raised forever, never to die again.

And in the same way, when we have left these bodies, we will one day come in Christ to redeem them for incorruptible bodies.

Just as one cannot live without sleep, one cannot live without death (or at least its shadow).

It is not the failure of God’s love for His child that they die;

It is the proof of God’s love that when they do, they are forever safe with Him, never to face the peril of death again.

5. Please listen and stay with me – dead people don’t sleep.

What I mean by that is this:

In the New Testament, only the saints of God are said to “sleep” in death.

Those who are not of Christ, who remain in their wickedness, they just die.

We can see it a little in Jesus’s parable of the Rich man and Lazarus:

Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. - Luke 16:22

See how Jesus described the poor, righteous man:

He died, yes, AND was carried, borne up by, the angels to Abraham’s bosom;

That means simply “to where Abraham is”.

But the rich, selfish man:

He died and was buried.

The wicked didn’t sleep, but went immediately to his torment, judged guilty and sentenced the minute his eyes closed in death.

But the poor man went to his rest, to his ease, comforted in the same faith that had saved his father Abraham.

That is the difference in the testimony of the wicked and the righteous:

The wicked perish into their torment.

The righteous fall asleep into their rest in Christ.

What will be the testimony of your life?

I urge you by the authority of God to be reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ.

Leave behind your sins, and trust Him to save you.

If you do this, you will also leave behind your fear of death, because:

Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin - 1 Corinthians 15:54-56