1st Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so, shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Death is a phenomenon we never get accustomed to, and yet it is something we would all have to be reconciled to, because it is an unavoidable fact of life. Humanity naturally recoils from death, because God made us to live, not to die.
And even as sad as it is when we lose loved ones, it will give us pause for concern if we observe what is currently taking place across the globe. Death has been significantly ramped up in every corner of the earth, and it runs particularly rampant in countries that are at war, and in places that are subjected to terrible natural disasters.
For instance, one of the last survivors of one family lost 173 relatives in a matter of days in Gaza. That number then rose to 270 family members killed in a matter of months. In the 2010 earthquake that had shaken Haiti, some persons lost 20 family members in one day.
And in Venezuela, where folks are still reeling from the recent twin earthquakes, thousands of persons are unaccounted for, with entire families, and their relatives wiped out without a trace. These facts do not minimize the sadness of the losses we do suffer, but it gives us a glimpse of the scale of death which the earth is now inundated with.
Coping with the loss of family and friends could be difficult, and there are various methods of dealing with it that can be helpful. However, this isn’t a one size fits all, because different persons handle grief differently.
With some persons the deep sense of loss comes all at once, and you can be overwhelmed with emotion and sadness. With others, it takes some time for the loss to set in, and it may take weeks or even months before the full realization of absence is keenly felt.
One of the ways to deal with loss is to interact and fellowship with persons, and support groups which share the same perspectives of the blessed hope.
When this is done, the grieving individuals would be encouraged, and comforted along Scriptural lines of thought meaning that the natural immortality of the soul would not find its way into the conversations to awaken a sense of immediate hope.
Other individuals might need time alone with God in order to be reconciled to the loss. Some persons do best when they take up some meaningful activity to preoccupy their minds, so that they would not dwell in a dark space for too long.
Animals are also a great help to some persons who are grieving, because our furry friends have a way of connecting with some people in ways that prove to be helpful emotionally. Another way of coping with loss is to do some form of regular physical activity that will stimulate circulation, and help with moods and mind health.
One thing that is to be avoided is substance abuse during grieving, as this will alter the state of mind, and could trigger dependence on substances to fix emotional issues. Now, while all of the above, and other methods can be adopted, our first passage tells us to comfort one another with “These words.”
This means that with the Christian the blessed hope of the first resurrection should play a major role in bringing comfort and hope to the bereaved families. This is what makes the difference between how the Christian mourns, and individuals who have not yet accepted Christ, and the hope of eternal life.
Thus, because it is an unavoidable fact of life, it will do us well to consider from time to time, our own mortality, and we should do so in the context of our first passage which tells us that Jesus is going to put an end to death, and as such we could be comforted with the knowledge that all who die in Christ would live again.
This is not to say that the shadow of death should hang before our faces every day, neither should the prospect of passing put a damper on achievements and aspirations. We should train our minds to look on the brighter side of life, while at the same time being cognizant of the inevitable.
The purpose of careful consideration, from time to time is to put the correct perspective on this life and when this is done, the things that the secular mind views as all important and all absorbing, in this life, will not be seen as such by the believer.
Especially should the closing scenes of this earth’s history be kept in view, because they bring vividly to light the blessed hope, and doing so could help keep our priorities in the right order. This is what David is saying in the Psalms when he speaks of our lifespan. Let’s read:
Psalms 90:10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
Sometimes we pass along in life as if we’re immortal already, not giving due consideration to the fact that the inevitable is heading our way, sooner or later. If we were to keep our mortality in view, it could help us to make wise choices earlier on in life, with the purpose of doing the most amount of good, for the longest time possible.
Understanding our temporary stay on this earth, as pilgrims, will also help us to rightly value that which Jesus has done for us on Calvary and it will make the temporal pursuits of life, good as they may be, fade in comparison with the immortal inheritance. Let’s read:
Hebrews 11: 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
Our first passage in Thessalonians encourages us to comfort one another with these words, referring to the blessed hope of the resurrection. But to do so we must first see why the blessed hope became so necessary in the first place.
After the fall of our first parents, the natural result was death, and not long after they had sinned, God made the promise of the Deliverer to them, so that they wouldn’t look forward to the future with dread and foreboding.
The promise was incorporated into their perspective and to the many faithful who came after it served as an anchor and hope in this present world. But good as the blessed hope is, the cycle of birth and death has continued its steady march, unto this day.
The first 20 chapters in the book of Genesis offer deep insights to the history of humanity, after the fall, and how we got to where we are today. Those chapters which deal with early genealogies should never viewed as boring, for they provide a wealth of information on the subject matter at hand. Let’s read:
Genesis 5: 5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. 930 years.
8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died. 912 yrs.
11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died. 905 yrs.
14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died. 910 yrs.
17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died. 895 yrs.
20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. 962 yrs.
27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. 969 yrs.
31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. 777 yrs.
This brings us to Noah and his sons who bridged the great divide between the antediluvian world, and the genealogies that came after the flood. When we read carefully, we’ll observe two patterns emerging, as pertains to life spans. We must also bear in mind that Noah and his sons were the last from that line of long livers. Let’s read:
Genesis 9:29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died. 950 years.
Genesis 11:10 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was a hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood.
11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 600 yrs.
12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah.
13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 438 yrs.
14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber.
15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 433 yrs.
16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg.
17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. 464 yrs.
18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:
19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters. 239 yrs.
20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug.
21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. 237 yrs.
22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor.
23 And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 230 yrs.
24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah.
25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah a hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. 148 yrs.
32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran. 205 yrs.
Thus, before the flood you have the long-livers, 930, 912, 905, 910, 895, 962, 969, 777, 950 years etc, but there is a general decline in the life spans, even though there are some anomalies. Then you have (Noah) at 950, but after the flood we observe 600, 438, 433, 464, 239, 239, 230, 148, 205. A definite downward acceleration in years.
And then onto Psalms 90, where the life span has been greatly reduced, to the point where today, a centenarian is celebrated as a long liver? Let’s read:
Psalms 90:10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. That’s 70 or 80 years.
There are two notable observations in the life spans of the persons listed: [1] There is a general, gradual decline in the number of years lived. [2] None of the persons mentioned made it to a thousand years.
Question: How is it that none of them made it to a thousand years?
Answer: According to the Scriptures, any human being who makes it to one thousand years will live forever.
There must be something unique about the number 1000, for some persons came close, but somehow, not a single person ever crossed that threshold. So, the question is why? We therefore turn to the Bible for the answers, for Paul says we must comfort one another with “These words”. Let’s read:
Revelation 20:1 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.
Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time.
Question: How does he know that he has a short time?
Answer: He knows because he studies his Bible and if we were to study ours, we will come to the same conclusion, that we also have but a short time. Let’s read:
[2SP pp 87] Satan is a diligent student of the Bible, and much better acquainted with the prophecies than many religious teachers. He has ever kept well-informed concerning the revealed purposes of God, that he might defeat the plans of the Infinite.
[9T pp 16] Satan is a diligent Bible student. He knows that his time is short, and he seeks at every point to counterwork the work of the Lord upon this earth.
That is the reason why those first passages in 1st Thessalonians 4 have such great significance for us today, because our time is short, because we’re now living on the very brink of eternity.
There is a prospect before us that some Christians who are alive today just may not pass through the portals of the tomb, that’s how short it is. The Bible tells us that no man knows the day nor the hour, but the prophecies that are scheduled for the last days are being fulfilled quite rapidly, even as we speak.
Not only is the gospel being taken to almost every inhabitable place on the globe, but the fact that for the first time in history, we now have an American Pope, and the makeup of the supreme court is now majority Catholic, (7 out of 9), tells us something is brewing on the horizon. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words.
According to the reckoning found in the Scriptures, this world is roughly about six thousand years old, give or take some number of years. And when the fulness of time has come, 6000 will give way to the one thousand years of sabbatical rest that we read of in Revelation 20.
During that 1000 year sabbatical rest the saints who have been resurrected, together with those who are alive at Jesus’ coming, will live for 1000 years, and will finally cross that threshold. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. Let’s read:
[D.A. pp 413] For six thousand years, faith has built upon Christ. For six thousand years the floods and tempests of satanic wrath have beaten upon the Rock of our salvation; but it stands unmoved.
[G.C. pp 659] For six thousand years, Satan’s work of rebellion has “made the earth to tremble.” He has “made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof.” And “he opened not the house of his prisoners.”
For six thousand years his prison-house has received God’s people, and he would have held them captive forever, but Christ has broken his bonds, and set the prisoners free.
[G.C. pp 660] For a thousand years, Satan will wander to and fro in the desolate earth, to behold the results of his rebellion against the law of God.
[E.W pp 51] “The saints will rest in the Holy City and reign as kings and priests one thousand years;
[G.C. pp 656> 658] For six thousand years the great controversy has been in progress. The Revelator foretells the banishment of Satan, and the condition of chaos and desolation to which the earth is to be reduced; and he declares that this condition will exist for a thousand years.
After presenting the scenes of the Lord’s second coming and the destruction of the wicked, the prophecy continues: “I saw an angel come down from Heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled….
We do not want to weary you, but the phrase 6000 years is to be found no less than 115 times, and the other related phrase, one thousand years could be found hundreds of times in the prophetic writings.
The great and final question to be answered on the world stage has to do with worship, and the contest between the 7th day sabbath, and the 1st day of the week has to be settled forever in everyone’s mind, who will be alive during crunch time.
In our day the blessed hope can only be realized if a person accepts The Lord Jesus Christ, and is willing to keep all of His commandments, by the power of The Holy Ghost. Let no one tell you otherwise, for there are many fanciful interpretations of faith in Christ that talk of love to God without obedience.
That perspective is not supported anywhere in the Bible, and individuals who will pass the 1000 year threshold, will need to meet the requirements. The fall of our first parents occurred after they breached the law of God, that’s why they, and no one who came after reached 1000.
Therefore, those who would live the first thousand years with Christ, must, by their personal decisions, restore the breach that was made, and this must of necessity include accepting all God’s laws including the 4th which says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”.
To build upon any other foundation than that which is written will be the equivalent of building upon a false hope that is neither recognized or endorsed in the Scriptures. Let’s read:
Revelation 14:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Leviticus 26: 34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.
35 As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.
All of the signs Christ gave to us are being fulfilled as we speak. There are wars, and rumors of war, there are earthquakes in different places, there are heat waves that are breaking all known records, there are screw worms and Ebola, and numerous pestilences that have the farming industry perplexed.
Then there are droughts, and the rapidly dwindling water resources of rivers, due to a lack of snow. The cost of everything from food, medicine, healthcare and electricity are driving the less fortunate into a form of desperation that is causing some to become creative in order to survive.
Hence the astronomical rise in gambling and other ways and means that up until recently, were not an integral part of mainstream media advertisements. It all hearkens back to the end time prophecies that are written in the Bible, and according to how things are going there is only one more shoe to drop.
In trying to cope with the loss of loved ones in our day, we are uniquely positioned to possibly witness with our own two eyes, a fulfillment of the blessed hope in which faith would give way to reality in the not-too distant future.
The question for us who are alive is will we cross the threshold of 1000 years, when Christ returns, or will we fall short. Coping with loss should also include a trust in God’s promises of the first resurrection, for this is what will make all the difference at the end of the day.
We therefore end with a passage of Scripture that will enable us to keep our heads lifted to the skies, because final movements will be rapid ones, and the phenomenon of death will soon become a thing of the past, wherefore, comfort one another with these words. Let’s read:
1st Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be you steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
God Bless!