"But I do not want you to be ignorant....For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus....For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,..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." (From 1 Thessalonians 4)
"Therefore comfort one another with these words." These are the Words with which Paul then concludes this part of his letter------- to us. The sad reality is that too many have made fun of, even rejected, "....caught up together...in the clouds...." Our text says, "....I do not want you to be ignorant...." Far too many are. The purpose of the Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, is to "....comfort...with these Words." You may know that on Stephen's grave marker are the words, "Until the Trumpet Sounds." One rejects, "....the dead in Christ will rise first", to their own peril.
"Therefore comfort one another with these words." When we need comfort, we don't need intellectual grasp. We need impartation of the, "God-Breathed," Words. "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him...." The Holy Spirit is, "The Comforter," and He comforts us by, "The Words of God." He does not comfort us by "taking us to our happy place," or some gooey feeling. The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus and "points" us to Jesus, His Words; hence, today I implore you to take His, "....comfort... with these Words," that, "the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them...to meet the Lord in the air." Flee from any "teacher" who tells you otherwise.
Father, in Jesus' Name, You are my Comfort. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
