Last Judgment (5)
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1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (NIV84): 13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
The Holy Bible: New International Version (p. 1 Th 4:13–18). (1984). Zondervan.
What happens after you die? Well, a lot of stuff. But you aren’t involved with it any more. But that is usually not the point of that question, is it? It asks what happens to you after you die? This can be answered on two levels.
What happens to your body? Well, it begins to decay and therefore it is important to treat it in a special way with respect so that your mortal remains may continue to decay in an acceptable way.
Harvesting of organs.
Earthen burial (with or without embalming)
Cremation.
Donated to science.
These are the normal and acceptable answers to what happens to our physical bodies after we die.
As Christians, we have a strong belief that we are more than just our mortal bodies. We believe that we consist of body and soul and that one definition of death is when our soul leaves our body. So the question, “What happens to us after we die?” will also involve contemplation and belief concerning what happens to our souls after we die and if there will be a time in the future when our body and soul are reunited.
In the classic Shakespearean play, the character Hamlet contemplates this as he is considering suicide.
To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die—to sleep,
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub:
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause—there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th'unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovere'd country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action.
Hopefully, we never are so overwhelmed that we consider suicide (although we are not immune to such thoughts). Hopefully, we have considered the important question, “What will happen to me after I die?”
St. Paul addresses that question in our text, doesn’t he? Understand the context of his answer.
In the early Christian church there was a strong expectation that Judgment Day (The Last Day when Jesus would return to judge the living and the dead) was imminent. (See passages on “coming soon”).
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Such an expectation helped people be ready for that day to come. But with the expectancy came a supposed inconsistency. Many believed that Jesus would return so soon that they expected most, if not all, Christians to live until then.
But what was happening? There were those who had “fallen asleep” = died. The Christian believed that those who were still alive would participate in the new heavens and the new earth, but they were not too sure about those who had died. Would they miss out on the glorious future of Christ’s kingdom? Some even were grieving without hope. Perhaps they were burdened with the anxious thoughts of Solomon:
Ecclesiastes 9:3–6 (NIV84): 3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. 4 Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion! 5For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. 6Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.
The Holy Bible: New International Version (p. Ec 9:3–6). (1984). Zondervan.
Examples of hopelessness after death.
Eternal oblivion (also referred to as non-existence or nothingness)[1][2][page needed] is the philosophical or religious concept of one's consciousness forever ceasing upon death. This concept is mostly associated with religious skepticism, secular humanism and atheism.[3] According to most modern neuroscience theories of consciousness, the brain is the basis of subjective experience, agency, self-awareness, and awareness of the surrounding natural world. When brain death occurs, all brain function forever ceases.[4]
Our greatest hope as Christians is that there is a future for us after we die. (1 Corinthians 15). St. Paul connects that future with the prophesied event of Jesus’s return which we refer to as The Last Day or Judgment Day because it is the last day of “normal” and on that day Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead.
I sometimes wonder how those outside of Christianity view the future of earth? This has been in the news recently as world leaders have gathered to discuss global warming and what needs to be done to prevent catastrophic environmental changes. To me it is about as futile as if the ancients had met to prevent The Flood. Regardless of what science teaches us, the world will end. We cannot stop it. God will bring it about in his own time and in his way.
In our text, St. Paul does not get into the details as St. Peter does, but he does teach how Jesus’ return on the Last Day will affect the living and the dead.
Verse by verse commentary.
13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
Our hope in life after death is dependent upon our belief that Jesus has risen — the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Because he lives, we also will live.
1 Corinthians 15:20–22 (NIV84)
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
St. Paul also teaches us that those who have already died have not ceased to exist but have gone to be with Jesus and that when he returns, he will bring them back with him. This would be a reference to their souls, not their bodies.
15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
But those souls will not remain disembodied spirits. The dead will be raised. Here St. Paul refers to the bodies of believers. Elsewhere we read that all people regardless of their beliefs or deeds who have died will be raised.
22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
1 Thessalonians 4:17–18 (NIV84)
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
And all will be judged. 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV84)
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
So how does St. Paul answer the question: What will happen after we die?
Our physical remains will remain. Elsewhere we understand what options there are for the treatment of those remains.
Our souls will pass on to the next level. St. Paul in writing to Christians reassures us that we will be with the Lord. Just what that experience will be like is not fully explained but the hope is that the individual who trusted in Jesus and was faithful unto death is enjoying the bliss of being in the presence of God.
Uncertain: How aware are they of what is happening on earth?
Be very careful concluding that they become angels who help us because the Bible clearly distinguishes between human beings and angels and does not teach a cross over event. God helps us with his angels. He NEVER promises to help us through the souls of our dearly departed. That is a human invention not supported by Scripture.
Jesus will return on the Last Day to judge the living and the dead. This we confess in The Apostles’ Creed. God’s judgment is based on what Jesus has already done. Those who rely on him (belief in Jesus) receive the victory he has won for us. Our actions are to be our response to Jesus and an indicator of our faith, not a basis for our salvation.
It seems as though the longer we live, the more encounters we have with the deaths of our fellow Christians. We expect those older than us to depart but realize that death is no respecter of age. At the time of a person’s death, we often reflect on their past and how that impacted our lives. St. Paul encourages us to consider our future after death and reassures us that it is in the hands of God and that he has a wonderful plan for us which involves the resurrection, a favorable judgment, and an eternity with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage each other with these words. Amen.