Week 48 1 Thessalonians
Paul has a pretty interesting section about the Lord coming back to earth to wrap everything up. Eighteen verses running from the end of chapter four on into chapter five.
Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly why writers choose certain topics, say certain things. I wonder why Paul told them: we who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves.
I’m sitting thinking about the phrase ahead-of-those, wondering why Paul said that.
Were people in Thessalonica concerned that the living would get an advantage? That the dead were handicapped because they’re dead? (In a material world you’d be inclined to think that a live guy would just, by definition have a clear jump on a dead guy.)
I’m wondering if Paul is reassuring them that living people won’t get a head start, that being dead doesn’t disadvantage me at the resurrection.
He spells it out this way: the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. All together.
Anyway even though I’m not exactly sure what the question-behind-the-answer was, that doesn’t really jam me up because I’m pretty solid on two basic things: a) the Lord will come back to earth; and b) if we believe in him we’ll go to be with him.
Note: quotes from 1 Thessalonians 4:15 (NLT), 4:16-17 (NASB)