With Jesus

“Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NIV

One of the things I enjoy doing after reading a passage is allowing it to run any number of ways in my mind. The passage above and one beginning Revelation 21 have often come to my mind and running free, I came to realize what we tell children upon the passing of a loved one just might be closer to the truth than what we have learned to believe. In the discussion of the second coming of Jesus, I have not had anyone I know draw the same conclusion but I was surprised to have one person tell a person ridiculing my thoughts how the conclusion was not new and was one held by many in Christian circles.

I mentioned previously how I am not sure the concept of heaven I came to understand as a child is something we will find when we pass from this life. I am convinced we will receive eternal life and the joy we experience will be so wonderful human words and reasoning will not be adequate for description.

When thinking of death and the time prior to the second coming, I am not sure if I ever formulated a belief since it basically dealt with those things unknown and whatever God has planned will happen as He has planned regardless of my “wasted” time contemplating the unknown. Unfortunately, the older I get, the more I dwell on what will take place when I pass from this life and as the passage says, there is encouragement found in these words. We tell children, “Papa has gone to be with Jesus” and I still find great encouragement in these words even if it was not what I have been taught to believe. I now find encouragement in the statement because it is what I believe!

Having read the Reflections and book mentioned in my last blog, I believe both authors believe we are dead until the second coming of Christ and this second coming is coming for all at a given point in the future. In our reasoning of time, I would agree with this conclusion but encouragement now comes to me from this passage as I consider time not existing for God. Since I mentioned Revelation 21, I would like to recommend the reading of Reflection 310 as a great read on the new heavens and new earth. http://www.zianet.com/maxey/reflx310.htm

My journey into this thinking began when I participated as a reader in a discussion of the Preterist view of the second coming of Jesus. Until three or four years ago, I had not even heard the terminology and coming face to face with people who believe Jesus returned the second time as promised in AD 70 was “hogwash” in my thinking. Having begun to examine bible passages more closely, there were some statements made from those holding this view I could not explain away so easily and my mind began to run wild with what is possible with God and my current belief consists of Christ having come, presently coming and coming for me (according to my concept of time) in the future.

“I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' [ Exodus 3:6] ? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." Matthew 22:32 NIV

This passage became a turning point in my reasoning of a reality I understood but could not bring to reasonable understanding in human terms. I now believe death is an end to our human reality (preliminary) and our entrance (resurrection) into the true reality of eternity (where time does not exist) begins. I have come to believe God IS and with this concept, Adam and Eve have already experienced the fulfillment of the second coming of Christ and have been given the reward of eternal life or the second death in the lake of fire.

Not believing we possess an eternal soul, but an existence to be given eternal life or the second death, I could not grasp what became of the ME in death if I ceased to exist until resurrection. If nothing lived on, then I would simply cease to exist until God put me back together at resurrection (even though this is possible with God). In my thinking, God would still be my God but this would make Him the God of the dead and the living. In my current thinking, those facing the second death have no attachment to God any longer and God will only be God of the living.

My basic understanding of the passage I began with this morning was within the belief of Christ coming, every eye seeing him come, recognition of the dead rising to meet Him and then I’m last because I am His and still alive. This belief is not formulated strictly from an order of things presented, but the ADDITION of timing on my part. It was something to happen at one point in time and does not allow past, present and future to exist together. Confined in a human existence, the second coming is always something in the future.

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, Hebrews 9:27 NIV

I have also taken this scripture and attached timing in the future. My current belief suggests this passage is nothing more than an order of things for us and could easily take place as we move from human existence into eternity. Outside of time, resurrection, judgment and reward/punishment can take place immediately.

We look at a grave site and tell the child, “Papa is not here but with Jesus.” For some reason, we don’t say Papa is dead and someday, maybe three or four thousand years in the future God will put Papa back together so He can give him his reward. I have now come to believe we tell our children this because it is the reality of what is coming. I now believe the statement “so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” means those who passed before us did rise first and are presently recipients of the eternal life promised to all of us.

The encouragement I have in this passage is not that I will be dust for ages to come while judgment is coming but rather being greeted by my savior prior to those who are alive and returning with him to greet those still alive when I am gone.

My encouragement comes from knowing God has provided the opportunity through Jesus to be with Him forever and as the father of the prodigal son ran to receive his child, I can’t imagine God being bound by time and simply waiting for some time in the future to welcome and bestow eternal life on His children.

When I pass from this life, don’t grieve for me because I plan on being in the presence of Jesus, FULL OF LIFE!