Resurrection Hope
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose, even so God will take with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 1 Thess. 4:14, my translation.
The "for" at the head of verse 14 refers us back to verse 13, which noted that Christians are not like those who have no hope in the face of death. Why? "For," or because, "we believe that Jesus died and rose" and that "God will take with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus." Thus Paul builds the Christian case for hope in two propositions: (1) Jesus died and rose, and (2) because He rose, those who have accepted Him will rise also.
Jesus is coming again. That is the primary "blessed hope." But now he adds breadth and depth to that hope in his discussion of the promised resurrection. To the apostle these teachings stand at the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the one who died and rose again that we might share his victory (1 Cor. 15:1-3, 22, 23).
The perceptive reader will have noted that I did not use one of the standard translations for today's reading but substituted my own translation. Let me explain the implications here.
Every published translation that I consulted renders the verse something like this: "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus" (NKJV). The word we want to look at is "bring." I translated it as "take." The Greek word includes both of those meanings, and either is a permissible rendering. But the two translations have quite different meanings: either Jesus will "bring" with Him those who supposedly went to heaven at death, or Jesus will "take" to heaven those whom He resurrects at the Second Advent.
The reason that nearly all translations render ago as "bring" is that they truly believe that people go to heaven when they die. My translation, of course, holds that the dead are asleep in their graves until Jesus returns.
Here we have a problem. Is the correct translation merely my theology against theirs? The good news is that the context solves the problem. Verse 16 clearly teaches that all are asleep (dead) in their earthly graves until the wakeup call on resurrection day. Martin Luther, the fountainhead of the Reformation, explains that truth when he writes that "we are to sleep until he comes and knocks on the grave and says, 'Dr. Martin, get up.' Then I will rise in a moment and will be eternally happy with him."
Thank You, Father, for the extensiveness of the blessedness of "the blessed hope."
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose, even so God will take with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 1 Thess. 4:14, my translation.
The "for" at the head of verse 14 refers us back to verse 13, which noted that Christians are not like those who have no hope in the face of death. Why? "For," or because, "we believe that Jesus died and rose" and that "God will take with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus." Thus Paul builds the Christian case for hope in two propositions: (1) Jesus died and rose, and (2) because He rose, those who have accepted Him will rise also.
Jesus is coming again. That is the primary "blessed hope." But now he adds breadth and depth to that hope in his discussion of the promised resurrection. To the apostle these teachings stand at the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the one who died and rose again that we might share his victory (1 Cor. 15:1-3, 22, 23).
The perceptive reader will have noted that I did not use one of the standard translations for today's reading but substituted my own translation. Let me explain the implications here.
Every published translation that I consulted renders the verse something like this: "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus" (NKJV). The word we want to look at is "bring." I translated it as "take." The Greek word includes both of those meanings, and either is a permissible rendering. But the two translations have quite different meanings: either Jesus will "bring" with Him those who supposedly went to heaven at death, or Jesus will "take" to heaven those whom He resurrects at the Second Advent.
The reason that nearly all translations render ago as "bring" is that they truly believe that people go to heaven when they die. My translation, of course, holds that the dead are asleep in their graves until Jesus returns.
Here we have a problem. Is the correct translation merely my theology against theirs? The good news is that the context solves the problem. Verse 16 clearly teaches that all are asleep (dead) in their earthly graves until the wakeup call on resurrection day. Martin Luther, the fountainhead of the Reformation, explains that truth when he writes that "we are to sleep until he comes and knocks on the grave and says, 'Dr. Martin, get up.' Then I will rise in a moment and will be eternally happy with him."
Thank You, Father, for the extensiveness of the blessedness of "the blessed hope."
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