“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.” (1Thessalonians 4:14)
There are a couple of things in this verse. The first is that the believers who die in Jesus are not dead. They are asleep. Yes, their mortal bodies die, but they are asleep in Jesus. They are kept secure in His keeping. The next big idea is that Jesus will bring them with Him.
There seems to be a discrepancy between verses 14 and 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:” (1Thessalonians 4:16) Will those sleeping in Jesus come with Him or be raised? In actuality there is no discrepancy. The souls and spirits of the believers who have departed this world are in the care of Jesus. But their earthly bodies are buried, cremated or other in the earth. There will be a resurrection of the body of both the living and the dead when Jesus comes. Our earthly bodies cannot enter heaven nor be in the presence of God. “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.” (1Corinthians 15:50) Our earthly bodies will be changed supernaturally. “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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” (1Corinthians 15:52-53) According to 1 Corinthians 15:52, the bodies of those sleeping in Jesus will be raised in their heavenly bodies. The bodies of those living will be changed into their heavenly bodies.
These verses give us comfort when we think of our loved ones gone before us and also when we think of the time for us to also leave this world. This was Paul’s intention when he wrote to the Thessalonians and the Corinthians. “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21) What Paul says here is that we belong to the citizenship of the eternal.
While we are here on earth, we forget that we are in reality not citizens of this world. It’s hard to wrap our heads around it and so we behave like the citizens of this world instead of like citizens of the supernatural and the eternal. We submit to the natural rules which govern this world instead of to the rules God has laid down for us. We think in earthly terms instead of the eternal terms. So, as we think, we speak and act, like mere man. Now we do live here on earth, so we must obey governing authorities, but we should not subject ourselves to the natural laws. God is greater. His law is greater. His world is greater.
How do we get to live on God’s plane? First, we cannot if we don’t know what God’s plane is. To learn what God’s world is like, we need to get acquainted with Him, His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We need to get acquainted with His Word. We need to begin to speak and behave as God’s children. There is no room for sin and for words that do not line up with His Word. We cannot speak His Word if we don’t read the Word. Paul said it best in Romans: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
That transformation is that process of God working in us to get up on His level. It’s a lifelong process to perfection which will be completed when we come face to face with Him. It’s a continual process of realizing the dross God wants out of our lives, repentance and change. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2Corinthians 3:18)
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