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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Out of the World of Out of the Evil?, #14
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. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (I Thessalonians 4:13,14)
If Paul's teaching here is for the purpose of relieving the anxiety of the living saints of Thessalonica concerning the deceased saints who already are in Paradise, why doesn't Paul comfort them by stating that when they die they will go to be with their loved ones in Paradise?
If the emphasis is on attaining residence in Paradise, why does the Apostle Paul stress that the deceased saints will return from Paradise with Christ at the time of His appearing? It is obvious that I Thessalonians 4:13,14 is stressing the return of Christ with His saints, not the removal of the Church to Heaven.
The Thessalonians were concerned that the deceased would not participate in the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth. This concern reveals that the Apostles did not preach our going to Heaven. They preached the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth, which is a different message.
Current Christian doctrine is resting on an unscriptural assumption concerning the goal of the Christian redemption; consequently, its portrayal of the requirements of the Christian life is not accurate or effective.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul, Peter speak of the coming of the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth. The purpose of the return of Christ in His Kingdom is to establish justice among the nations of the earth. The Kingdom will be installed with violence because the unrighteous governments of the earth will strive to maintain their positions of rulership.
Christ is laboring unceasingly to bring His Body to perfection so we may be able to work with Him in the establishing of justice on the earth, to participate in the setting up and administration of the Kingdom of God on the earth.
We need a physical body in order to live once again on the earth, and this is the purpose for the resurrection. This is why the saints now in Paradise will return with Christ at the blowing of the last trumpet.
The purpose of the ascension to meet the Lord in the air, which follows the first resurrection from the dead, is that the Body of Christ may be joined to the Head, that the army of the Lord may be gathered to the Commander In Chief. In Jesus' case the ascension followed forty days after the resurrection and there may be a similar interval of time in our experience.
The joining of the Body to the Head is the beginning of the revealing of the sons of God. It is the manifesting of the marriage of the Lamb, of the Kingdom of God, to the nations of the earth. This is the coming of the Kingdom of God spoken of by the Old Testament Prophets, and by John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus, and all the apostles, prophets, and teachers of the new covenant.
To be continued.