The Essential Jesus (Part 19): The Second Coming of JesusПримерок

If I Should Die Before I Wake

PRAY: Heavenly Father, "keep us in (your] grace, and guide us when perplexed; And free us from all ills, in this world and the next" (Martin Rinkart).

READ: 1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

REFLECT: I read the newspaper almost every morning, and I have a pattern for how I go about it. First I look at the front page, then sports, then news and editorials, then celebrity gossip, and finally the obituaries. For some reason I'm always curious about who died. (Admit it, you are too!) People throughout the ages have been intrigued by this question: what happens to me after I die? That's exactly the question the believers in the first-century city of Thessalonica were pondering, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11 is the apostle Paul's answer to them.

Paul starts by reviewing the basic teaching of the gospel on this subject: those who believe that Jesus died and rose again can be certain that they'll enjoy eternal life with him (1 Thessalonians 4:14, 17). Paul then offers a succinct description of what Jesus' return will be like (1 Thessalonians 4:16); it's a description that sounds very similar to others in the New Testament because it's based on the explanation Jesus himself gave (1 Thessalonians 4:15; Matthew 24:1-51).

Paul then gives the Thessalonians two practical teachings to help them maintain a balanced understanding of the second coming. First, they shouldn't spend time trying to nail down the exact "times and dates" (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3); people are still distracted by that debate today, and the truth is that only God knows when it will happen (Matthew 24:36). What we do know is that if we're not prepared, Jesus' return will take us by surprise. It will be like a "thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2).

Second, Paul teaches that they should spend time trying to live for God in the present (1 Thessalonians 5:4-8). That's good advice for us too. We are to put off the deeds of darkness and put on the lifestyle of those who live in the light, which sounds exactly like the advice Paul gave to the believers in Ephesus (Ephesians 4:20-24; 6:10-18). We'll always be curious about the second coming. But Paul reminds that the most important thing to know is simply that we are ready for it.

APPLY: What is your answer to the question, "What will happen to me after I die?"

PRAY: Spend some time praying about the ways you could become more ready for the return of Jesus Christ.