Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Thessalonian Letters,” Pages 255-268; “Called to Reach a Higher Standard,” Pages 319-321, in The Acts of the Apostles.

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“The Romans,” wrote Stephen Cave, “were well aware of the Christians’ belief that they would one day rise bodily from the grave and did everything they could to mock and hinder those hopes. A report of a persecution in Gaul in 177 CE records that the martyrs were first executed, then their corpses left to rot unburied for six days before being burned and the ashes thrown into the river Rhône — ‘Now let us see whether they will rise again,’ the Romans are reported to have said.” — Stephen Cave, Immortality: The Quest to Live Forever and How It Drives Civilization (New York: Crown Publishers, 2012), Pages 104, 105.

This little object lesson in theological skepticism, however dramatic, is beside the point; it proved nothing about the biblical promise of the resurrection. The Power who raised Jesus from the dead can do the same for us as well, regardless of the state of our body. After all, if that same Power created and upholds the entire cosmos, He certainly could translate the living and resurrect the dead.

“‘Even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him’ [1 Thessalonians 4:14], Paul wrote. Many interpret this passage to mean that the sleeping ones will be brought with Christ from heaven; but Paul meant that as Christ was raised from the dead, so God will call the sleeping saints from their graves and take them with Him to heaven. Precious consolation! glorious hope! not only to the church of Thessalonica, but to all Christians wherever they may be.” — Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 259.

Discussion Questions:

<–Thursday

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Read 1 Corinthians 15:51-55. What “mystery” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52) is Paul explaining?

Some popular preachers suggest that this “mystery” () is the “secret rapture” of the church, which is to occur seven years prior to Christ’s glorious second coming. In this “secret rapture” faithful Christians are suddenly, quietly and secretly, whisked off to heaven while everyone else remains here wondering what happened to them. People might suddenly find themselves in a driverless car, because the driver was raptured to heaven, and all that “remains is their clothes.” The 16-volume bestselling Left Behind series, turned into four movies, promoted this false teaching, exposing millions to it.

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Of course, no biblical passage endorses such an artificial distinction between the rapture and the Second Coming. The “mystery” Paul is referring to is simply the transformation of the living righteous to join the resurrected righteous at Christ’s second coming. This is the “rapture.” There is no “secret rapture” because the Second Coming will be visible to all living human beings (Revelation 1:7), and both the resurrection of the dead and the transformation of the living ones will occur at the sound of the trumpet at Christ’s return (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

Christ’s second coming will bring about the most amazing encounter ever. The living righteous are changed “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52). At the voice of God, they are glorified; now they are made immortal and with the risen saints are caught up to meet their Lord in the air. Angels “gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:31, NKJV).

“Little children are borne by holy angels to their mothers’ arms. Friends long separated by death are united, nevermore to part, and with songs of gladness ascend together to the City of God.” — Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 645.

<–Wednesday Friday–>

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The Thessalonians were convinced that eternal life would be granted exclusively to those who would remain alive until the Second Coming. “They had carefully guarded the lives of their friends, lest they should die and lose the blessing which they looked forward to receiving at the coming of their Lord. But one after another their loved ones had been taken from them, and with anguish the Thessalonians had looked for the last time upon the faces of their dead, hardly daring to hope to meet them in a future life.” — Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 258.

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. How did Paul correct this misconception?

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There is a historical tendency to read into the expression, “bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 4:14, NKJV) more than the text is saying. Many who accept the theory of the natural immortality of the soul suggest that Christ, at His second coming, will bring with Him from heaven the souls of the righteous dead who are already in heaven with God. Those souls thus can be reunited with their respective resurrected bodies. But such an interpretation is not in harmony with the overall teachings of Paul on the subject.

Read the words of this non-Adventist theologian on the real meaning of this verse: “The reason why the Thessalonian Christians can have hope as they grieve for the dead members of their church is that God ‘will bring’ them, that is, he will resurrect these deceased believers and cause them to be present at Christ‘s return, such that they will be ‘with him.’ The implication is that these deceased believers will not be at some kind of disadvantage at the parousia of Christ but will be ‘with him’ in such a way that they share equally with living believers in the glory associated with his return.” — Jeffrey A. D. Weima, 1-2 Thessalonians, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2014), p. 319.

If the souls of the righteous dead were already with the Lord in heaven, Paul would not need to mention the final resurrection as the Christian hope; he could have just mentioned that the righteous were already with the Lord. But, instead, he says that “those who sleep in Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 4:14, NKJV) would be resurrected from the dead at the end of time.

The hope in the final resurrection brought comfort to the grieving Thessalonians. The same hope can help us face with confidence the painful moments when the cold grip of death takes our loved ones from us.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

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The New Testament Hope is Lesson 8 in our series. Join the discussion to learn how eternal life is ours.

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In one of His miracles, Jesus had fed five thousand people with just a small amount of bread and fish (John 6:1-14). Perceiving that the multitude then intended to proclaim Him king (John 6:15), Jesus sailed with His disciples to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. But the next day the multitude followed Him there, where He delivered His powerful sermon on the Bread of Life, with special emphasis on the gift of everlasting life (John 6:22-59).

Read John 6:26-51. How did Jesus associate the gift of everlasting life with the final resurrection of the righteous?

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In His sermon, Jesus highlighted three basic concepts in regard to eternal life. First, He identified Himself as “the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33, John 6:58, NIV). By declaring that “I am [Greek egō eimi] the bread of life” (John 6:35, John 6:48), Jesus presented Himself as the Great “I AM” of the Old Testament (Exodus 3:14). Secondly, Jesus explained that everlasting life can be secured in Him: “he who comes to Me” and “he who believes in Me” will have this blessing (John 6:35, NKJV). And finally, Jesus linked the gift of immortality with the final resurrection, assuring His audience three times, “and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40, John 6:44, John 6:54, NKJV).

Jesus also gave this amazing promise: “Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life” (John 6:47, NRSV). So, the gift of eternal life is already a present reality. But this does not mean that the believer will never die, for the very expression “raise him up” (John 6:40, NKJV) presupposes coming back to life after one has died.

The picture is clear. Without Christ, one does not have eternal life. But, even after accepting Christ and having the assurance of eternal life, we continue for now being mortal and, therefore, subject to natural death. At the Second Coming, Jesus will resurrect us and, then and there, He will give us the gift of immortality that was ours already. The gift is assured, not because of a supposed natural immortality of the soul, but, rather, because of the righteousness of Jesus that comes to us by faith in Him.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

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