His Saints Never Die

Verse of the day: 1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

One of the most difficult things that we can go through on earth is the loss of a family member, loved one, or someone very dear to us. The thought of not having someone we love dearly no longer here with us is a very difficult situation to deal with. The thought of a loved one perishing for eternity and knowing that we will never see them again makes that loss even harder to accept. It is for this reason that we MUST be diligent to share the Gospel with family, friends, and all those God puts before us, in whatever manner we can. It amazes me how creative we can be when comes to getting into mischief, but we can be so unimaginative when it comes to how we can communicate the story of Jesus to others. I have been to the funerals of the unsaved, and it truly is a sad and hopeless event. On the contrary, I have attended the funerals of the Lord’s saints. What a contrast! The joy of knowing that a loved one is with Jesus and knowing that we, who also know the Lord, will see them again gives us that sense of hope that helps us to cope with this temporary loss. However, even in our celebration of our loved ones’ lives, we rarely stop to think what the coming of our Lord really means. First, it is all about God’s glory. The fact that Jesus is coming back is first and foremost about God the Father’s glory (Mt 16:27). Secondly, it is about Jesus’ glory (Lk 9:26). The Lord will return with His angels in all His glory (2 Thess 1:7). Finally, the Lord tells us that those that have died in Christ will rise first, and we will meet them in the air to be with the Lord (v. 17). It will be a family reunion like no other! How can we not glorify God in that? Contrary to our view of losing a loved one, the Lord rejoices in the death of one of His saints, because it means that he/she is finally coming home (Ps 116:15). As if that were not enough, not only will we go to be with the Lord at the rapture of the church, but we will also return with Him to rule and reign when He establishes His thousand year Millennial Reign (Col 3:4; 1 Thess 3:12-13). Whatever loss we experience now, in having a loved one depart will eventually be dwarfed by the reunion God has promised, when we will all be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and be with the Lord forever more (1 Cor 15:51-58; 1 Thess 4:17), with no more suffering, no more pain, no more tears (Rev 21:3-5). Knowing all of this, the Apostle tells us that we are to be comforted with these words that have been written, by the Holy Spirit’s inspiration (2 Tim 3:16-17), and remind us that death has been defeated, and the grave cannot hold us because of what Jesus our Savior and Lord has done for us (1 Cor 15:55-57). The departure of our loved ones is all about God’s glory, and ultimately will bring us greater joy than we can ever begin to imagine today.

For the believer, physical death is not the end, but the beginning. It is the beginning of life in the presence of God (2 Cor 5:7-9).  God promised that if we believe and call upon His Son, Jesus, for eternal life, He will save us and we will spend eternity with Him (Rom 6:23; 10:13). Repent, confess your sins, and be saved. Receive Him and His free gift of salvation today.