Year of the Bible: Part Ten of TwelveSample

New Bodies in the Air!

The Thessalonian church was geographically in modern-day Greece. Thus, Greek thinking was prevalent, and once again, we see the surrounding culture affecting the church, just as it often does today.

The church in Thessalonica was waiting for the second coming of Christ. In general, Greeks didn’t believe in any kind of afterlife. They thought that when someone died, they were no more. This cultural belief caused the church to grieve for believers from their fellowship who had died. The consensus was that the members who died would miss the second coming! How disappointing to live for Christ and then die before He returned! This would indeed be a reason to grieve, except the Thessalonians did not see the whole picture.

Paul wrote to set the matter straight. He described death as “falling asleep.” The Thessalonians who had died were no longer present in their earthly bodies but were sleeping while waiting for Christ to return.

Paul explained that the dead believers will rise first and then get a front-row seat to see all the still-living believers get their new bodies. The hopelessness the Thessalonian believers had been wallowing in must have started seeping away as they realized that Jesus would not let a dead person miss out on the joyful reunion. Indeed, we will all see Him and begin living more fully than we could have imagined. Not only will we reunite with fellow believers but also with Jesus, and we will begin the eternal celebration of worshipping Him forever!

Question: What has been your perception of where people go when they die and what will happen to them at the return of Jesus?

Prayer: Ask God to give you hope for things that have felt hopeless to you! Ask Him to reveal hope in places where you have not fully understood Him and His ways.