Wake Up!

1 Thessalonians 4:14; 5:10

As a father of two, I find that I must occasionally yell, “Wake up!” to my children when they seem a bit lazy getting out of bed on a school morning. Every parent knows that feeling, and every child loathes those words. We want to sleep a bit longer because we are so comfortable, but there are things that need to be done, and they will not get done lying in bed.

One of the things that must be accomplished in our Christian walk is the spreading of light to a dark world. In this final hour, more than ever, saints need to shine as light, and flavor as salt, a world that is in the dark and has no flavor. To do this, we must wake up to who we are in Christ. When you fall asleep as to how God views you, you fall back into the habits that you formed when living for the world. It is for this cause that Paul said to the church at Corinth, “Awake to righteousness and sin not” (1 Corinthians 15:34).

There are two Greek words for sleep that are used in the New Testament. One is ‘koimao’ which means “to fall asleep or to die”. It can only be interpreted within the context of the scriptures surrounding it. For instance the word is used to describe the death by stoning of the Apostle Stephen (Acts 7:60), and it is also used to describe the sleeping disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:45).

The other Greek word for sleep is ‘katheudo’ which means “to fall asleep” and this one never means “to die”. For instance, this word is used when Jesus says of Jairus’ daughter, “She is not dead, but sleepeth” (Matthew 9:24).

When Paul writes of the resurrection at the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4, he speaks of those who “sleep in Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). He uses, ‘koimao’ and we know that he means that they are dead, because the next verse says, “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). This context proves that the ‘sleep’ is death; as ‘alive’ never means ‘awake’.

When Paul furthers his sermon into the 5th chapter, he makes this statement, “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:6, 7). Here, ‘sleep’ is ‘katheudo’ meaning, “to fall asleep”. Paul is warning us to stay awake as to who we are in Christ. The previous chapter is speaking of death, but this one is speaking of life.

It all comes to a head in the next two verses, as Paul explains that the church must be removed by Rapture in order for God’s wrath to be poured out. Look closely as he describes the kind of people that are going to make it:

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him” (1 Thessalonians 5:9, 10).

‘Sleep’ here is ‘katheudo’ meaning “to fall asleep”. This is not a statement about Jesus taking us whether we are alive or dead, it is a statement about Him taking us whether we are awake to our righteousness or not!

Wake up to who you are, not so that you can make heaven for that is already your inheritance, but rather wake up because you are children of the day, and not of the night (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Walk in the light today!

There Is Hope

1 Thessalonians 4:13, 14

Many years ago, I had a preacher tell me that one of the greatest things that you can do when you minister to people is to give them hope. I was a bit too young at the time to understand what that meant and why that was important, but now I believe that man was right. People need hope!

As Paul walked through the streets of Thessalonica, he no doubt saw the large mausoleums, housing the dead. On the tombstones in many Greek communities, the words, “no hope” would often be chiseled. For as great as the Greek mind was with philosophy and the meaning of life, they felt that when man drew his final breath, all hope was lost.

Paul did not want the people of the Thessalonian church to think the same way that the sinners did. He wanted them to have a confidence, that those who had died were not really gone. Only their bodies had died, but that they were at rest in Jesus and they would live again.

Paul once said that if we had hope only in this life, we would be, of all men, most miserable (1 Corinthians 15:19). It was his message that there is a heaven, and it is our hope (Colossians 1:5). He did not preach that men died and then just lay in the ground, sleeping away eternity until Jesus come to get them. This message is preached by many even now, and it removes the hope of heaven for your loved ones who have gone on before. Be encouraged that those that you have loved and lost, who were redeemed by Christ’s blood, are in heaven, waiting for you. The scriptures bear this out.

First, Paul said that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8), meaning that whenever your body dies, your spirit man lives on in the presence of the Lord.

Secondly, Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him”. In the next few verses, Paul relates to us that God is going to descend from heaven to come back and get both the sainted dead and His living church, in that order. Now, if verse 14 tells us that God is going to bring the saints with Him when He comes, and then in verse 16 those saints will come out of the grave in new bodies, how can He bring them back if they are still in the ground? The answer is one of great hope; only their bodies are there now, but their spirits have been with God since they died. This is great hope!

Finally, I do not believe that Paul is condemning the church for weeping over the dead when he tells them to “sorrow not” in verse 13. Rather, he wants them to “sorrow not as others which have no hope”. Crying and hurting over the loss of a loved one is natural, but to feel as if they are completely gone, never to be seen again is to discount the power of the resurrection. You have a blessed assurance that Jesus is coming again, and He is bringing your loved one with Him.
I comfort you today with these words, whether you have lost someone or not. If you have, take comfort in knowing that they are at rest in Christ, in a land where they will never hurt, nor grow old. If you have not lost someone, then take comfort in knowing that He is coming back to get His own. As John the Revelator heard Jesus say, “Surely I come quickly”, he responded with, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelations 22:20).

Wake Up

1 Thessalonians 4:14; 5:10

As a father of two, I find that I must occasionally yell, “Wake up!” to my children when they seem a bit lazy getting out of bed on a school morning. Every parent knows that feeling, and every child loathes those words. We want to sleep a bit longer because we are so comfortable, but there are things that need to be done, and they will not get done lying in bed.

One of the things that must be accomplished in our Christian walk is the spreading of light to a dark world. In this final hour, more than ever, saints need to shine as light, and flavor as salt, a world that is in the dark and has no flavor. To do this, we must wake up to who we are in Christ. When you fall asleep as to how God views you, you fall back into the habits that you formed when living for the world. It is for this cause that Paul said to the church at Corinth, “Awake to righteousness and sin not” (1 Corinthians 15:34).

There are two Greek words for sleep that are used in the New Testament. One is ‘koimao’ which means “to fall asleep or to die”. It can only be interpreted within the context of the scriptures surrounding it. For instance the word is used to describe the death by stoning of the Apostle Stephen (Acts 7:60), and it is also used to describe the sleeping disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:45).

The other Greek word for sleep is ‘katheudo’ which means “to fall asleep” and this one never means “to die”. For instance, this word is used when Jesus says of Jairus’ daughter, “She is not dead, but sleepeth” (Matthew 9:24).

When Paul writes of the resurrection at the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4, he speaks of those who “sleep in Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). He uses, ‘koimao’ and we know that he means that they are dead, because the next verse says, “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). This context proves that the ‘sleep’ is death; as ‘alive’ never means ‘awake’.

When Paul furthers his sermon into the 5th chapter, he makes this statement, “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:6, 7). Here, ‘sleep’ is ‘katheudo’ meaning, “to fall asleep”. Paul is warning us to stay awake as to who we are in Christ. The previous chapter is speaking of death, but this one is speaking of life.

It all comes to a head in the next two verses, as Paul explains that the church must be removed by Rapture in order for God’s wrath to be poured out. Look closely as he describes the kind of people that are going to make it:

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him” (1 Thessalonians 5:9, 10).

‘Sleep’ here is ‘katheudo’ meaning “to fall asleep”. This is not a statement about Jesus taking us whether we are alive or dead, it is a statement about Him taking us whether we are awake to our righteousness or not!

Wake up to who you are, not so that you can make heaven for that is already your inheritance, but rather wake up because you are children of the day, and not of the night (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Walk in the light today!

There Is Hope

1 Thessalonians 4:13, 14

Many years ago, I had a preacher tell me that one of the greatest things that you can do when you minister to people is to give them hope. I was a bit too young at the time to understand what that meant and why that was important, but now I believe that man was right. People need hope!

As Paul walked through the streets of Thessalonica, he no doubt saw the large mausoleums, housing the dead. On the tombstones in many Greek communities, the words, “no hope” would often be chiseled. For as great as the Greek mind was with philosophy and the meaning of life, they felt that when man drew his final breath, all hope was lost.

Paul did not want the people of the Thessalonian church to think the same way that the sinners did. He wanted them to have a confidence, that those who had died were not really gone. Only their bodies had died, but that they were at rest in Jesus and they would live again.

Paul once said that if we had hope only in this life, we would be, of all men, most miserable (1 Corinthians 15:19). It was his message that there is a heaven, and it is our hope (Colossians 1:5). He did not preach that men died and then just lay in the ground, sleeping away eternity until Jesus come to get them. This message is preached by many even now, and it removes the hope of heaven for your loved ones who have gone on before. Be encouraged that those that you have loved and lost, who were redeemed by Christ’s blood, are in heaven, waiting for you. The scriptures bear this out.

First, Paul said that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8), meaning that whenever your body dies, your spirit man lives on in the presence of the Lord.

Secondly, Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him”. In the next few verses, Paul relates to us that God is going to descend from heaven to come back and get both the sainted dead and His living church, in that order. Now, if verse 14 tells us that God is going to bring the saints with Him when He comes, and then in verse 16 those saints will come out of the grave in new bodies, how can He bring them back if they are still in the ground? The answer is one of great hope; only their bodies are there now, but their spirits have been with God since they died. This is great hope!

Finally, I do not believe that Paul is condemning the church for weeping over the dead when he tells them to “sorrow not” in verse 13. Rather, he wants them to “sorrow not as others which have no hope”. Crying and hurting over the loss of a loved one is natural, but to feel as if they are completely gone, never to be seen again is to discount the power of the resurrection. You have a blessed assurance that Jesus is coming again, and He is bringing your loved one with Him.
I comfort you today with these words, whether you have lost someone or not. If you have, take comfort in knowing that they are at rest in Christ, in a land where they will never hurt, nor grow old. If you have not lost someone, then take comfort in knowing that He is coming back to get His own. As John the Revelator heard Jesus say, “Surely I come quickly”, he responded with, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelations 22:20).

Body, Soul and Spirit

1 Thessalonians 5:23

Some doubt the validity of man being a triune being; meaning that we consist of body, soul and spirit. However, if you take the writings of the apostle Paul as being prima facie evidence, then you must acknowledge 1 Thessalonians 5:23 as a description of man.

The body is obvious, as we all have one, whether we are happy with it or not! The soul and spirit are often linked together, but using the Bible to interpret the Bible shows us that these two are not one and the same. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit…” (Hebrews 4:12). The fact that the soul and spirit can be divided shows us that these are two distinct parts of man’s makeup.

We know that there is a difference in the natural man and the spirit man, as should be obvious, since the spirit man goes to be with the Lord upon death (2 Corinthians 5:8), while the body is placed into the ground. When the natural body dies, there is a spiritual body that lives on, as Paul states, “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:44). To see no difference between the soul and the spirit would be to see no difference between the natural body and the resurrected one.

Our consciousness of God, our surroundings and ourselves are all wrapped up in this triune nature. We share two of these three traits with animals, as they possess a body and a soul. Our body, through the use of the 5 senses makes us conscious of the world around us. Our soul, which is the seat of our emotions and affections, makes us conscious of our self, as shown in Psalms 13:2, “How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily?”

That which separates us from the animal kingdom is our spirit, which gives us God-consciousness. Christ came as a “life-giving Spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45) for each one of us, which is something that He did not do for animals. He has given us eternal life by His Spirit, placing His Holy Spirit into each one of us who believes by faith.

Paul prays that the church see God’s sanctifying peace at work in every area of their life (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The King James translation then says, “I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless”. The words, “I pray God” are italicized in the translation, meaning that the translators added the words to enhance the meaning of the passage.

Unfortunately, sometimes this actually takes away from the intent of the writer. In this case, when you remove the italicized words you are left with, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ”. Without the italicized words, Paul is not hoping that they will be found blameless; he is asserting that they most definitely will be found that way!

Christ’s finished work has assured that you will be seen as blameless and perfect in God’s eyes, not because you are living that way, but because Jesus died that way. You are blameless because Jesus took the blame. Rejoice!

Wake Up!

1 Thessalonians 4:14; 5:10

As a father of two, I find that I must occasionally yell, “Wake up!” to my children when they seem a bit lazy getting out of bed on a school morning. Every parent knows that feeling, and every child loathes those words. We want to sleep a bit longer because we are so comfortable, but there are things that need to be done, and they will not get done lying in bed.

One of the things that must be accomplished in our Christian walk is the spreading of light to a dark world. In this final hour, more than ever, saints need to shine as light, and flavor as salt, a world that is in the dark and has no flavor. To do this, we must wake up to who we are in Christ. When you fall asleep as to how God views you, you fall back into the habits that you formed when living for the world. It is for this cause that Paul said to the church at Corinth, “Awake to righteousness and sin not” (1 Corinthians 15:34).

There are two Greek words for sleep that are used in the New Testament. One is ‘koimao’ which means “to fall asleep or to die”. It can only be interpreted within the context of the scriptures surrounding it. For instance the word is used to describe the death by stoning of the Apostle Stephen (Acts 7:60), and it is also used to describe the sleeping disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:45).

The other Greek word for sleep is ‘katheudo’ which means “to fall asleep” and this one never means “to die”. For instance, this word is used when Jesus says of Jairus’ daughter, “She is not dead, but sleepeth” (Matthew 9:24).

When Paul writes of the resurrection at the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4, he speaks of those who “sleep in Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). He uses, ‘koimao’ and we know that he means that they are dead, because the next verse says, “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). This context proves that the ‘sleep’ is death; as ‘alive’ never means ‘awake’.

When Paul furthers his sermon into the 5th chapter, he makes this statement, “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:6, 7). Here, ‘sleep’ is ‘katheudo’ meaning, “to fall asleep”. Paul is warning us to stay awake as to who we are in Christ. The previous chapter is speaking of death, but this one is speaking of life.

It all comes to a head in the next two verses, as Paul explains that the church must be removed by Rapture in order for God’s wrath to be poured out. Look closely as he describes the kind of Christians that are going to make it:

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him” (1 Thessalonians 5:9, 10).

‘Sleep’ here is ‘katheudo’ meaning “to fall asleep”. This is not a statement about Jesus taking us whether we are alive or dead, it is a statement about Him taking us whether we are awake to our righteousness or not!

Wake up to who you are, not so that you can make heaven for that is already your inheritance, but rather wake up because you are children of the day, and not of the night (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Walk in the light today!