Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
WHAT HAPPENS TO ME WHEN I DIE?
My brother gives a good part of his Saturday to answering gardening questions. Hundreds of people call him up week after week and ask about their tomato plants, their roses and their slug problems. Well in this series I would like to address your questions - not gardening questions but questions you have asked during the last number of months about the faith. You were encouraged to share your questions through a series of bulletin announcements through the spring and from those questions this series was formed. And the first question that was asked was this - What happens when I die? The person elaborated on their question saying that some pastors say that we are asleep, others say that we are immediately with God when we die. Which is right? To guide us in our answer we turn to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
Now this text was written to a group of early Christians who had some questions. Their questions surrounded the second coming of Christ. They wanted to know what happened to believers who died before Christ returned. They wanted to know what happened to those believers who died before the Second coming of Christ and if they would share in the glory of that wonderful event. We know from 2 Thessalonians 2:5 that Paul instructed the Thessalonians about the last days when he was with them. He had told them that Jesus was coming again to set up His kingdom on this earth - the problem was that the Thessalonians apparently believed that only those who were living would share in His kingdom reign and that those who died had missed out. And they were mourning the fact not only of death, but the fact that their dead brethren would not see the coming of King Jesus. So Paul writes to them and says in verse 13:
While this passage doesn't directly address our question, "What happens when I die?" an answer to our question is woven into the text as the Holy Spirit clarifies the state of those who have died before Christ's return. Paul is writing to inform - with the view of enabling us not only to know, but also not to grieve like those who have no hope. Paul does not intend to banish grief from us, but instead is seeking to remind us of the sure and certain hope that is ours in Christ. Now in verses 14 through 16 Paul tells us several important truths. The first foundational truth is that Jesus Christ is coming again. He implies this in verses 14 and 15 but states it plainly in verse 16 where he says,
Christ will come again. It is a magnificent truth, that is meant to be a great encouragement to you and to me. We need to realize that we don't worship a defeated God, no we worship one who has won the battle. D-Day has been launched and won on the cross and resurrection of Christ, and V-Day is just a matter of time. There is encouragement in knowing that evil will not win the final day, that sadness and sorrow will not be the lot of this earth for eternity; that there will be a day of victory. When all the evil of this world, when all that is terrifying in this world, when all that is heartbreaking in this world will come to an end - Jesus Christ himself, says the text, Jesus Christ himself - who was nailed to the tree, buried in the tomb, on the third day rose from the grave and who the disciples saw ascend into heaven - this same Jesus will return and V-Day will be proclaimed. And so I pick up the spiritual armour, you pick up the spiritual armour and we join the battle knowing that whatever comes our way, the war has been won and the victor proclaimed. That is a great encouragement. Now the second truth - and this applies directly to our question - what happens when we die?
Here's the second truth - those who have died believing in Christ will rise again. Now listen very closely to what I am going to say here because Christians often get confused in their thinking about death and base their beliefs about what will happen to them in death on old wives' tales and fables more than they do on the Word of God. The truth is this - when you and I die we will immediately be with the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the truth. There is no intermediary place called purgatory where our souls will be sent to wait for the coming of the Lord. When the thief was dying on the cross beside Jesus, you will remember he said, recognizing Jesus' innocence and kingship, "Lord remember me when you come into your Kingdom". And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise." "Today" He said, not tomorrow, or after a time but today. When a believer dies he or she is immediately in the presence of our precious Lord. But not only is there no intermediary place, there is no intermediary state. There are some Christians who believe that when they die they simply will enter a state of sleep. They will enter an eternal rest - an absence of consciousness. They say that "They will not sleep forever but will awake at the sound of the last trumpet when they will rise to be with the Lord.' The time even thought may be long in earth years will seem like a moment to those in this state. But this is not scriptural. It is not what the Holy Spirit teaches through Paul - he writes to the Philippians 1:21: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." What gain could there be in falling asleep? Some of you who are worn out and weary may cherish the idea of a long nap. You may like the idea of a long rest interrupted only by the coming of Christ. But seriously what is the gain? If in living we are aware of Christ and live in the light of Christ, but in death are simply in an unconscious sleep - that's no gain, when you think of it. Paul continues to say there in Philippians 1:22, and 23: "If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two; I desire to depart to be with Christ which is better by far." (Philippians 1:22-23) (NIV) There is no mention of sleep here. But you are astute and you say, what about our passage? Paul clearly refers to those who have died as being asleep. The answer is that we humans are both spirit and body, and Paul is referring to the body here, not the spirit - when you die your spirit - that is the essential you is at home with the Lord but your body returns from where it came - the dust. So Paul writes of death in 2 Corinthians 5:8 - of being away from the body but at home with the Lord." The question remains - what does Paul mean by being "asleep" in our passage? Paul is saying that our actual physical bodies are asleep. But our spirit is with the Lord. You will note here that the Holy Spirit is very careful with His choice of words. When He speaks of Jesus passing He says in verse 14 that Jesus died. But when He speaks of we Christians passing, He speaks of how we are asleep. Why the difference? Because Christ did indeed die. He went to death and all that it involved when He took our place on the cross. But we who trust in Him will never see death - our bodies will only be asleep while our spirits, that is our consciousness, our characters will leave our bodies to be with Christ. The Holy Spirit is very particular in the words that are used here - the body is simply asleep. That is, there will be a time when they awake and arise. So we read in the book of Job:
When will that be? When Jesus returns at the sound of the trumpet. Our bodies will resurrect and the dead in Christ will rise first. Just as Christ rose from the dead bodily so shall our bodies resurrect to meet our spirits. But someone may ask, 'How are the dead raised? What kind of body will we have?” Paul addresses this in 1 Corinthians 15 and says that our bodies will have the semblance of our old selves - just as a seed carries within it the semblance of the tree, but is not the tree. He also says that this body will be imperishable raised in glory and power; it will be anew spiritual body - we will bear the likeness of Jesus. He concludes in 1 Corithians 15:
We don't sorrow and grieve as those who have no hope - Why? Because we have this hope and it's based upon the reality of the resurrected Lord the truth of his coming again and the hope of our own resurrection. Many, many years ago, just after Paul wrote this an Egyptian lady named Irene wrote to a bereaved couple whose son had died. She is very sorry she says. She weeps over her friend's loss of her own dear one, Didymas (Perhaps a husband or son) She and her family have done everything they can in the circumstances (perhaps funeral offerings, and prayers) But nevertheless she concludes in despair, against such things we can do nothing. Therefore comfort one another, Farewell. How sad. There is nothing in that ancient letter of comfort. But here in God's word we have wonderful comforting strengthening truth that we belong to Christ fully and that we will live forever with him fully, body and spirit. These words my friends is a great strengthening truth in the midst of grief. We do not grieve for our loved ones who have died in the Lord as others who have no hope. No we realize that death has been swallowed up in victory - death has lost its' victory - death has lost it's sting. Thanks be to God that he gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. In the closing verses Paul refers to the rapture, in verse 17:
This is a biblical truth - there will be a day when Christ will come and those who are alive at the time and living in him will be taken up to greet him in the air. The word rapture expresses the idea of being seized in sudden manner. We will be swept up, snatched up together with those who have gone before. There will be a day when this world be covered with a spreading terror and a horrible evil led by Satan himself. That day however will not be experienced by Christ's church. We will be saved from that time as the church is swept away from the on coming wrath. One last thing is mentioned here - and that is a reunion.
Having been caught up into the clouds, we will be with the Lord and with the saints forever. In an instant the descending Lord, the ascending saints and the bodies of those who have gone on before will all be reunited. This is central to Paul's message. The Christian dead will not be separated from Christ for they will be with him, nor will they be separated from their Christian brothers and sisters but will all be with the Lord. We will be together with the Lord forever and ever. This is the glorious truth of our gospel. No other so-called faith offers this hope. Hindus believe that death is but an incident on the road to other births - it either brings you down a level in the life chain or up a level - always an endless, meaningless cycle. The Christian Scientists teaches that death is an illusion. Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the movement wrote - "man is incapable of sin, sickness and death." Then she grew old and senile herself and the "Illusion" called death crossed her path and she is now buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge Mass. Only Christianity offers the hope of everlasting life - indeed only Christianity can - for we serve a risen Saviour who will one day return to complete the work he began on Easter. So let us comfort one another with these words so that we do not grieve as those who have no hope. But as people who have placed our hope solidly upon Christ.
Copyright MBC and Tom Cullen - July 2002
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