Do the Dead Miss It?

Introduction

Before Paul answers the question that apparently had been relayed by Timothy from the church in Thessalonica it is interesting to see that he refers to them as “brothers” which puts them on an equal footing with himself despite their not knowing about the subject. There is nothing in Paul’s reply that is to make them feel guilty or in any way less than him. He refers to them as “uninformed” and the King James Version uses the term “ignorant” which was not insulting 400 years ago since it merely meant they were uninformed and not lacking intelligence. They simply had a question about a real life situation and were trying to understand it from a biblical standpoint. Paul also uses a metaphorical term, “asleep”, to refer to the believers in the church that died. There is a teaching of “soul sleep” by most notably the Seventh Day Adventists that teaches that when the body ceases to function, the soul of the person enters the state of sleep until the future resurrection and in that state, there is no knowledge of time or events. That teaching is not found in Scripture but Paul understood “sleep” to mean dead. Let’s have a look at the passage,

[READ THE PASSAGE]

B.I. Paul answered their question to provide them with hope.

I. The hope that Paul was offering them had a firm basis they could trust.

A. Their hope was based in the gospel. v.14

Paul reminds them of the gospel essentials. The way he wrote this grammatically indicates an assumption of certainty that his readers had indeed believed the gospel.

Look at 1 Corinthians 15: 3-5

1 Corinthians 15:3–5 ESV

For I delivered to you as of first 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, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

Note there are two essential parts to the gospel

The first is that Christ died for our sins and then he says, according to the Scriptures. Of course that points to the Old Testament and all the prophecies made promising the coming of Messiah and specifically His role as the sacrifice that will be the final and only sacrifice that will remove our sin. Of course the most well-known passage is the Isaiah 53 passage. In Luke 2:33-35 Simeon would see Jesus in the Temple and after a statement about the coming of Messiah, he turned to Joseph and Mary and said what is recorded in verses 33-35. That sword the pierced Mary’s heart was no doubt watching her son die that cruel death. That Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for all time, never to be repeated, was why John the Baptist exclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.”

The Corinthians passage adds and He was buried. That was the proof that He was indeed dead.

The ridiculous idea that He merely passed out and then revived in the coolness of the tomb makes no sense. Besides, the Roman execution squad recognized death since that was their job and as we might say today, it was not their first rodeo.

The second part of the gospel is “that He was raised on the third day, in accordance with the Scriptures.” Here again Paul appeals to the Old Testament for the support for the resurrection. Afterward the passage in Corinthians lists some that saw the resurrected Christ—Cephas, the twelve, more than 500, and Paul himself. Again, proof that He was alive just like the proof He was dead.

Paul points to the gospel itself as a basis for having hope of the future resurrection because Jesus rose from the dead.

B. Their hope was based upon the Word of the Lord.

ii. Paul makes this statement with the ultimate authority of “a word from the Lord.”

We are not told how Paul received this knowledge. It could very well have been direct revelation since that was ongoing at that time since the Scriptures were in formation and coupled with the apostolic teaching that was known. For example, in John 14: 1-6 “...And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” The knowledge of the resurrection of Lazarus was common knowledge that could not be denied. Whether it was direct revelation alone or a combination of all of that, we don’t know but it was authoritative.

Their hope would also relieve the grief felt by those that do not know the Lord.

App: All of us here today have experienced that grief that death brings whether it was a relative, friend, or someone else. Personally, I’ve known it and I’ve seen it at funerals I’ve conducted. I did several funerals for people that had no church affiliation and the funeral home would ask me to do it. There is a vast difference in funerals for people that had no hope.

TRANS: Paul says that our hope is based on the gospel which we, like them, have embraced.

II. The hope Paul was offering is also seen in the return of Christ. v15-17

A. The Lord will return from heaven with great fanfare.

i. Paul paints a picture for them that they understood clearly from their culture and experience.

In verse 15 the word translated “coming” was a word that would apply to the arrival of a dignitary like the sovereign of the nation to a city. “An imperial visit was an event of great pomp and magnificent celebrations, with rich banquets, speeches that praised the imperial visitor, a visit to the local temple, rich donations, celebration of games, sacrifices, statues dedicated, and arches and other buildings constructed. Money was minted to commemorate the event, crowns of gold might be given, and at times a new era was inaugurated.”

Gene L. Green, The Letters to the Thessalonians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos, 2002), 223.

So you see, it was a big deal but here, it is the Sovereign of all that is coming and three things will accompany that arrival. Unlike the visit from a Roman dignitary, we don’t know when the coming of Christ will be but we are told to always be ready. [BTW, if someone tells you they’ve worked out the time of His return, stay away from them. Jesus told the disciples when they asked Him that only the Father knows and it was not for them to know.] At that moment however this happens:

The cry of Command.

it is a command that comes from the Father and it must be obeyed. No one can alter it, disregard it, or do anything to hinder it. It will simply be obeyed

The voice of the archangel.

The trumpet of God.

Paul wrote this to the church at Corinth, 1 Corinthians 15:52

1 Corinthians 15:52 ESV

in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

Matthew spoke of the role of angels in this coming. Matthew 24:31

Matthew 24:31 ESV

And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

That leads us to Paul’s answer to the church at Thessalonica.

B. The dead will rise first and then the remaining will go to meet Him.

i. The dead in Christ will rise first and then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Two things are apparent there. First, it is the dead in Christ—this is not a general resurrection such as the end of time when the unsaved shall be judged. Secondly, Paul’s use of “we” indicates he was looking for the second coming in his day.

ii. “The point Paul wished to drive home with the Thessalonians, however, is not simply that the dead in Christ will rise but that this event will occur first. The dead will not remain in their tombs and lose the opportunity of going out to receive their sovereign Lord, but before the grand entourage goes out they will be raised. They will have a place of privilege, if not preeminence, in this grand procession, which is described in the following verse.”

Gene L. Green, The Letters to the Thessalonians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos, 2002), 225.

TRANS: Paul says our hope is anchored the return of Christ based upon the gospel.

III. The hope Paul offered was intended to encourage all believers. 18

A. Notice at the outset Paul did not say believers were not to grieve.

We grieve but with an assured hope.

B. We are to encourage one another.

We are to come alongside one another in grief and offer hope as well as times of difficulty in general. We have to understand and share that this life is not the final word.