The following article (or something similar) is in the current edition of the EMW mag
The
fat lady is already singing
Words
with which to encourage each other
Gary
Brady
Every
chapter of 1 Thessalonians refers to the Second coming, especially
the last two chapters.
Today
we are used to Christians dying but imagine a converted Thessalonian
pagan. He loves the brotherhood but after a while, one dies, then others. This is unexpected. He thought Christ
would come and take them all to be with him, sooner rather than
later. Now he is unsettled and it is most understandable.
We are unsurprised when Christians die but may be we are unclear on
certain things about Christ's return.
Christians
have hope
Paul
says (4:13) he does not want them to be ignorant about believers who
die or grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. His
subject is Christians who die before Christ returns. He is concerned
that those who remain should know what happens to such people.
When unbelievers die, other
unbelievers have no certainty about them. Some vaguely hope for a
better afterlife. It is a forlorn hope.
Only
Christians have a solid hope, Though it is sad when believers die, it
is not the end of the story. It is a temporary parting that ends with
Christ's return. We grieve when believers die but not like those with
no hope. We genuinely hope to
see them again. This we must not forget when faced with death.
The
resurrection has begun
Paul then says (14) something about
that hope. We believe first
that Jesus died and rose again. That
is fundamental. Jesus lived and died, more than that he rose
again - not mere resuscitation
but a real rising in a new spiritual body, in which he ascended to
heaven and with which he will return. We believe the end of the world
is already here and the final resurrection begun. So far, only Jesus
is raised but because of that we believe that one day God will bring
with him every Christian who has died, ready to receive new
resurrection bodies.
There
is a phrase “it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings”. It
references stereotypically overweight sopranos
of Grand Opera such as the buxom valkyrie Brünnhilde, who sings in
the last part of Wagner's Ring Cycle. Her
20 minute aria leads directly to the
opera's end.
She sings of the world's end (or at
least that of the Norse gods) so as it is
all over “when the fat lady sings" so we can say that with
Christ's coming the world is at an end, though, as in opera, there
are still things to happen before the very end.
Christ
is risen and will soon return. When he does, every true Christian who
has died will come with him and be reunited to his newly raised body.
This is the Christian hope. When we see our brother in his coffin we
are sad but not despairing. Our hope is his resurrection when Jesus
returns. We look forward to seeing not only Jesus but also all who
have died in him.
Leading
features of the Second Coming
So Paul can say (4:15) we
who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord
certainly will not precede those
who die. A generation of Christians will be alive at Christ's return.
The Thessalonians hoped they would be that generation, a misplaced
desire. There is no advantage in it. The generation left …
will certainly not precede those who died
before his coming. There is no real difference. Remember:
1.
The coming itself. First, Jesus himself will come down from heaven
where he now is. We learn elsewhere that every eye will see it. Three
phrases speak of the signal that will go out summoning the dead to
rise - a loud command, a
general leading his army speaks; the voice of the archangel
the battle cry of Michael to
angel bands: with the trumpet call of God as
when a signal calls an army to battle. So Christ will come with
loud command … archangel's
voice and trumpet sound, calling people to leave their graves. Once
on earth Christ cried Lazarus! Lazarus
rose. A day is coming when he will call and all will respond.
2.
The resurrection. So the dead in Christ will rise first.
The first thing that will happen
is that the bodies of the dead in Christ, Christians, will rise from
their graves, the sea, wherever. There is, of course, a general
resurrection; all bodies will rise. There is also the matter of what
happens to those still alive when Christ returns but first there is
the resurrection of the righteous that the Bible speaks of many times
in both Testaments. The dead in Christ will rise.
3. The transformation of believers
still alive when he comes. Paul goes on According to the
Lord's own word, the words of
Jesus himself 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. It
is only After that, that
believers still alive will be caught up together with them
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
There is an order, as we might expect from the God of order. First,
Christ comes from heaven, then the dead in Christ rise, then
believers on earth are transformed. Their bodies become spiritual,
without dying. What is the interval between the resurrection of the
righteous and this transformation? Some try to introduce large
amounts of time but there is no argument for that. The gap is the
matter of a twinkling of an eye. Something similar could be said of
the resurrection and transformation of unbelievers. Paul does not
talk about that. He wants to assure the Thessalonians that those who
had recently died would not miss out but share in the resurrection
and transformation as much as those who remained.
4.
Eternal bliss. Finally, do not miss his point that those
alive at Christ's coming and those who die in the Lord will
be with the Lord forever. We
will all know his presence throughout eternity. What bliss! What joy!
What a glorious day lies ahead for us and all who die in the Lord.
Words
with which to encourage each other
Finally,
Paul says Therefore encourage each other with these words.
We have a duty to keep these
teachings alive and speak to each other about them so that we all
take courage from them. Obviously at Christian funerals this is an
obvious text. It is a part of our New Testament that we ought always
to remember. Informally, we ought encourage each other with these
truths too – not just when people die but always.
Sports
psychologists say things like “Develop a team mission. This
could be your goal for the season. It could be a motto to encourage
team unity.” Churches sometimes have mission statements and such
things. Here is a great statement with which to encourage each other.
When
will Christ return? The question comes up in Chapter 5. Meanwhile, be
clear what will happen and encourage each other with these truths as
much as you can.
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