Death Has No Hold - Comfort One Another With These Words

Death Has No Hold – 1 Thessalonians 4

Acts 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

Holden – (Strong’s) – krateo, krat-eh'-o - to use strength, i.e. seize or retain (literally or figuratively):--hold (by, fast), keep, lay hand (hold) on, obtain, retain, take (by).

Death could not hold Jesus and it cannot hold us. When you are gluing something, you want it to be able to ‘hold,’ or stick tightly. When we think of death in this sense, in the sense of being able to hold on to us or retain us, we know that this is impossible, because Jesus has defeated death.

            Death is a word that we use a lot even in life, because death means the ending or dissolving of something. It means separation. So, we say things like ‘My faith has died, our love has died, my hope has died, the relationship died, my ambition died,” etc. The wonderful thing is that for the child of God there is no kind of death, whether mental, emotional or any other sort that has the power to hold onto us when God chooses to remove its power and free us from its hold!

            Absolutely no kind of death can hold on when God frees us from it. God has power and gives victory over all death. He is the restorer of life.

            But what about physical death? Most Christians believe that death cannot hold them forever, that in fact, when they die their spirit goes to be with the Lord and that in the resurrection they will have a new body and live eternally. But what about our connection to our loved ones after death? Will those relationships be dead forever? Will that matter to us? Does it matter to God? Or are we only to care that we will be with God and not be concerned with those who have gone before, finding all satisfaction in being with and praising God?

            A whole book could be written about such things, but for now, I want to zone in on one particular portion of scripture that tells us so much and holds so much comfort. Scriptures where a treasure seems to have been hidden form many for a long time.

I have heard this portion of scripture read from different pulpits when the preacher was going to preach on the rapture. It wasn’t until my husband and little daughter had gone to be with the Lord that I read these verses in context and saw what I had never heard taught in my life. There it was, said so plainly written, and yet I had never seen it. The apostle Paul had said plainly for us to comfort one another with what he was saying.

1 Thessalonians 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

 But no one had ever comforted me with these words. Perhaps, however, I can obey and comfort you.

            Before Paul described the rapture in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, he prefaced his discourse with some very important words. We find these words in verse 13. Listen closely to what he has to say. – 13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

            He begins by saying that there is something he wants us to know and not be ignorant about. It is something concerning those who are ‘asleep.’ This is a term used to describe those who are born again and die physically. It is an appropriate word, since those who belong to Christ when they die, will one day be getting back up just as a person wakes after sleep.

            So, Paul does not want us to be ignorant of something concerning those we love who have died. And he wants us to have the information he is about to give so that we will not sorrow in the way that others sorrow when their loved ones pass because they do not have the hope that Paul wants us to know is ours.

            So then, the very topic of Paul’s discourse is a hope that believers should have concerning their loved ones who go to heaven before them. And he goes on to lay out for us, in a step by step fashion what is going to happen that is our ‘hope.’ Take a careful look. Here we go -

1 Thessalonians 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

Verse 14 begins with telling us that if we believe that Jesus both died and rose again ‘even so,’ or in like manner, Jesus is going to bring those who ‘sleep’ in Him – with Him at the time of the rapture!

Yes! Did you know this about the rapture? Look and see!

This is very important to the message Paul is giving, but far too often it is overlooked. What does he mean, Christ will bring them with Him? Let’s consider the answer to this before going on to see the next steps in what Paul is saying is going to occur.

            We are told in - 2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

            So then, Paul is telling us that when Jesus comes, God will be bringing our loved ones ‘with’ Him. It is their spirit that is ‘with’ Him even while the body is in the grave. But when the Christ appears in the clouds, our loved ones (their spirits) will be ‘with’ Him.

… even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

            In the Greek, ‘even so’ actually means - Even so (Strong’s) = houto, hoo'-to… in this way (referring to what precedes or follows):--after that, after (in) this manner, as, even (so), for all that, like(-wise), no more, on this fashion(-wise), so (in like manner), thus, what.

In the same way that Jesus died and rose again, God is going to bring those who sleep in Jesus with Him. When Jesus died, His spirit went to His Father, but for Jesus to rise from the dead, His spirit had to re-enter His body.

Now watch!

15 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.

This word ‘prevent,’ is important to the message Paul is giving. The meaning of this word is nothing like the meaning we give it in the English language. Perhaps the King’s English, when the Bible was being translated used this word differently that we do today. But in the Greek it comes from the word – phthano, fthan'-o and it means (Strong’s) - … to be beforehand, i.e. anticipate or precede; by extension, to have arrived at:--(already) attain, come, prevent.

Those of us who are alive at the time of the Lord’s coming are not going to precede, or go up to the Lord, before or ahead of those who have been asleep. Now Paul goes on to explain the steps to what is going to take place. And when we see what he is telling us, we should be comforted.

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:

            Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is going to descend from heaven. Those who have been ‘asleep’ will be brought (their spirits) with Him. There will be a shout, with the voice of the archangel. There will be the trump of God, and when this happens something wonderful and amazing is going to take place. Those who were physically dead are going to rise. BUT WAIT – not rise into the air as one might think if they do not look closer. NOT YET! And this is vitally important to the information Paul is explaining that he does not want us to be ignorant of! As a matter of fact, this word ‘rise’ here is a very different word than what is used when we are said to be ‘caught up’ into the air. This word ‘rise’ is translated from the Greek word – anistemi, an-is'-tay-mee - … to stand up (literal or figurative, transitive or intransitive):--arise, lift up, raise up (again), rise (again), stand up(-right).

This is the same word used in Matthew 20:19 speaking of Jesus ‘rising’ from the dead, before He ascended to the Father.

Matthew 20:19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

On the third day, Jesus came out of the grave. His body rose and stood up again. Now we are being told that when Jesus comes with a shout, the voice of the archangel and the sound of the trumpet, our loved ones are going to stand up again as He did. Now hold on! Their bodies could not stand up alive once again unless their spirits, that had been in heaven with the Lord, re-entered their bodies. This is why God brings them with Jesus when he comes! That spirit returns to his body. When that happens, they are going to stand up again- first- or before the next thing happens. What is that?

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

First, they stand up alive once again and THEN – OH! THEN! – those who were already alive when Jesus comes – shall be caught up! But caught up how? TOGETHER WITH THEM! Do you see what is being said?

Paul wants us to know that when the trump of God sounds and the dead in Christ rise out of their graves there is going to be a blessed reunion and we are not going to be caught up into the air to meet the Lord before nor after our loved ones. But we are leaving earth – TOGETHER – to meet the Lord in the air.

This was important enough for the apostle Paul to want us to have this information and not be ignorant of these facts. Sure, he does describe the rapture in these verses, but his point, the thing he did not want us to be ignorant of, had to do with those who had died before us. He wanted us to know something that would be a comfort to us concerning them.

Look! Jesus is coming in glory! He is coming for His church! But when He comes, He will bringing the spirits of those who have gone before us so that they can rise out of their graves alive, well and changed to immortality.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.

52 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.

How often have we read these words, but at the same time, been totally unaware of the fact that when the dead rise from their sleeping places, and are changed to immortality as we will be, that God has planned for us to go with them - together – to meet the Lord? It seems that Paul, as well as our heavenly Father, understood the love we have for each other and the importance of the relationships He has given us. He does not take it lightly. So, Paul makes point to let us know that when the Lord comes, our relationships do not become unimportant nor our love for each other lose its value. God gives us the love we have for our family members and all our precious each others. He gave that love and is able to preserve it. This love we have for each other is God given love and not even death can defeat that love.

So, Paul wants us to know that when our Lord comes, we will be reunited with our loved ones and go with them to meet the Lord in the air.

Together with them we will be caught up, which in the Greek is – harpazo, har-pad'-zo - … to seize (in various applications):--catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force).

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The steps –

1 - Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God

2 - them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

2 -and the dead in Christ shall rise first: - the spirit re-enters our loved ones and they stand up alive once again and changed to immortality.

3- After our loved ones rise from the dead, we and they – together – will be seized, taken by force, by the power of Almighty God, and taken to meet the Lord in the air!

But I believe there is more that Paul wanted us to know! After telling us that we would be caught up to meet the Lord ‘with’ our loved ones, he went on to say - “so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

The very first meaning given for the word ‘so’ in this verse – “so shall we ever be with the Lord,” is ‘in this way.

In the Greek, the word ‘so’ is -  (Strong’s) - Houto, hoo'-to, … in this way (referring to what precedes or follows):--after that, after (in) this manner, as, even (so), for all that, like(-wise), no more, on this fashion(-wise), so (in like manner), thus, what.

            I believe Paul is telling us that in this way, or that is to say - together- we will ever be with the Lord. Or in other words, when we are with the Lord forever, we will also be with our loved ones. God chose to cause our loved ones to come to life again changed to immortality. He chose to change us to immortality. And He chose to reunite us with our loved ones and cause us to leave earth ‘together’ to meet our Lord in the air. And together we will be with Him eternally.

            We had a temporary separation from those who died before us, but we will be with them, with the Lord, forever and nothing will separate us again. God is reunite us even before we are caught up into the air in the rapture.

            And Paul said we were to comfort one another with these truths.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Wherefore or therefore, because of or in light of the information Paul just gave, we are to comfort one another with these words.

Wherefore – Greek – hoste, hoce'-the - … so too, i.e. thus therefore (in various relations of consecution, as follow):--(insomuch) as, so that (then), (insomuch) that, therefore, to, wherefore.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/wherefore  wherefore  - 2 for that cause or reason: - noun  3 the cause or reason:

YES! When we read these verses of scripture, we should rejoice in the message that there is going to be a rapture! But the very point of Paul’s discourse was to tell us something about our loved ones and our reuniting with them, alive and well, and being caught up to our Lord ‘with’ them, and remaining ‘with’ them in the presence of the Lord forever. He wanted us to know these things because this is a hope that unbelievers do not have. It is a comfort and hope we are to have and hold onto! And it is a knowledge we are to share with each other to comfort each other’s hearts.

When a loved one dies, our hearts are broken. But we need never use the term ‘lost’ as though to say that we have ‘lost’ that person. We have not lost them. We know where they are and are going to be with them again. We might sorrow with the thought of all the long days and nights we think are ahead for us without them near us. But while we are thinking such thoughts and bearing the accompanying pain, our Lord could appear with that shout, that voice of the archangel and the sound of the trumpet. It could be this very day! We have no guarantee that we will be living many days away from our loved ones. We might see them today.

But if not today, we only need to today, live one day at a time, and live it bringing glory to our Lord, knowing it could be the last day before we see our Lord face to face and are caught up into the air ‘with’ those who have gone before. So, let us praise Him today for what is coming at any moment!