The passage in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 has always puzzled me. And it’s hard to find someone with whom to reasonably discuss it because I find that most evangelicals have their minds made up about their eschatological position based on verses that supposedly support their claim. These verses leave me with more questions than answers. Anyone care to give your opinion?
What does it mean, “God will bring with Him those who are dead”?
Bring them where? To heaven? To earth? Bring them back to life? Believers? Nonbelievers?
“We who are alive and remain till the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep.”
If you stop reading here, it makes sense. Obviously, the dead arrive in heaven before the living do.
“The Lord returns with a shout and a trumpet and the dead in Christ will rise first.”
First before whom? Before the living? Before unbelievers?
What will rise? Their bodies? Aren’t their spirits already risen?
“Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we’ll always be with the Lord.”
If this happens in the twinkling of an eye, why the “first” and “precede” references? Doesn’t this happen all at once?
On earth, humans are body/soul/spirit (yes, I’m a trichotomist). In heaven (or wherever the holding place is for spirits separated from their bodies), there’s only spirit—or does that include the soul? After the resurrection of the dead, there will be a reunion of the body and the spirit (and presumably the soul wherever that’s been).
And why the choice of words “asleep” instead of “dead”? Jesus obviously saw this from a different perspective than His disciples.
If this passage (along with I Corinthians 15) was the only teaching on eschatology, I’d be convinced of a post-tribulation rapture. But based on other verses, and contrary to many evangelicals, I lean toward a mid-trib position.
In the end, of course, my position is irrelevant. Just because I believe something, doesn’t make it so. What I do stake my life on is that Jesus is coming back someday. Period.
With a satisfying morning behind me, as I entered the room with a smile on my face, I immediately sensed a shift in the atmosphere. This person’s bad mood challenged my response.
I see a dark cloud swirling above her head. Since she’s cold and damp and miserable, no wonder she grumbles and complains. (Or does she relish the attention she gets from her drama?) Anyway—what is that to me? The problem is, I can’t get near her, or I’ll get drenched too—or worse, get zapped by the lightning coming out of her cloud. I confess I prefer to avoid prickly people, but if I do, I forfeit relationship and I can’t help them.
As I pray about my dilemma, the Lord says, “Wherever you are, rest in the eye of the storm, and the swirling wind about you will push her rain away so that you can draw near. You don’t have to be affected by her weather patterns.”
The tug of my human heart says I have the same temptation toward pride, the same bent, as Satan himself. I want to be like God. I want the universe to revolve around me. I want glory. Like the Apostle Paul, I want to shout, “O wretched man that I am; who shall deliver me from the body of this death [idolatrous desire]?” (Romans 7:24).
My visual is that I’m at the center of a circle, craving the world’s honor and praise. Though I want to experience significance, I don’t want this idolatry of self. I want to echo John the Baptist’s words: “He must increase; I must decrease.”
Paul viewed himself as a slave of God (the Master of the Mansion, a perfect gentleman who looks after and cares for His servants and who gives good gifts according to their service for Him.) Kitchen maid or head chef, butler or chimney sweep—we all have our jobs to do. If we do it with a complaining spirit, we shift the focus to the idolatry of self. If we serve with gratitude and love, our load feels lighter. We’re driven to excellence. We want the Master of the Mansion to look good. Shining the gold on the newel of the banister becomes an act of worship. Fetching His slippers is a privilege. We adore Him. Why? Because He makes each one of His servants feel significant. He catches our eye. He notices. “Nice job on the newel, Charlie. Thank you for remembering to feed my dogs, Susan. I love you, Karen.”
But there are other metaphors: “No longer do I call you My servants, but My friends (John 15:15). You are My bride (Isaiah 54:10). I bought you with a price (I Corinthians 7:23). You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money” (Isaiah 52:3).
And we remember who we were and from whence we came. And we gladly, gratefully, joyfully enter into a love relationship with our Rescuer.
But then that niggling question comes—how did we get into the slave marketplace? How did we end up in the prostitute’s parlor? And we blame God. He created us, didn’t He? It’s His fault for bringing us into existence in the first place. And we face that universal question, “Why was I born?” Just so He could have more slaves? How bitter is that?
But no. He wants relationship. “He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (Psalm 107:9).
“Will you be My bride?” asks Jesus. I have searched for you, I have found you, I have courted you. Will you say yes? I will exchange your dirty garments for clean, bright white ones. I will give you a crown worthy of a queen.”
And in humility, all pride gone, I bow prostrate at His feet. I am unworthy. He deserves all the glory, the honor, the praise.
Coronation Day is coming. Preparations are in the works. I want my heart to be ready. I want to complete the tasks He’s given me to do in preparation of the wedding day and His coronation ceremony.
Regret is like being covered in mud—easily washed off with some divine truth. But if my actions cause others to suffer (whether intentional or not), and they end up with mud in their eye, saying sorry doesn’t reverse the consequences.
One time, I accidentally ran over a cat that darted in front of me. Out of the house flew a lady screaming, “You murdered my Fluffy!” I was terribly sorry it happened; I duly apologized and offered to assist her, but she refused my help. I had to leave her sobbing in the street, dead kitty in her arms, with the pain of her loss in her heart.
I am no murderer. Involuntary kitty-slaughterer, yes, but it was an accident. I felt sorry for the cat and for the lady, but there was absolutely nothing I could do to resurrect that animal or ease the woman’s pain. I prayed for them both.
I had metaphorically kicked sand in her eyes. I can apologize and offer to help wash it out. At the point of her refusal, however, my obligation is done. It is her choice to tolerate the sand and not wash it out herself. All I can do is walk away—or sit on a log and watch—and if she starts to stumble, to catch her because she can’t see the logs under her feet. But if she refuses my help or rejects me, I’m wasting my time staying with her on the beach.
Addendum: the cat lady’s neighbor put my mind at ease when she came out to see the commotion. “Don’t worry,” she said, “I’m not surprised. It was just a matter of time before that dumb cat would get hit, for it kept crossing the street.”
This was not my favorite day! I had my goals, expectations, and vision of an uninterrupted day to catch up on my work. It started at 4:30 a.m. with the cat waking me up, and it went downhill from there. I spent very little time at my desk, ran errands instead, met others’ needs, and ended the day an emotional wreck. No alone time and thwarted at every turn, I felt off balance, out of kilter.
How do I balance plans with interruptions? Why does it upset my equilibrium when I don’t get my way? I should have known . . . I should have anticipated . . .I should have been others-centered instead of self-centered, runs through my brain.
I used to have a tight control over my schedule. I was on the dance floor without a partner. I could sit on the side and play solitaire, get up and get a snack at my leisure, or sway to the music if I wanted to. I affected very few people with my decisions.
And then I got married. Having a dance partner meant I couldn’t sit down as often. Sometimes he served me drinks; sometimes I served him, and at all times we were aware of each other’s presence and needs. If we both were in the mood to dance, we did. If we both wanted to rest, we did. If one did and the other did not, we had to compromise or sacrifice. It was easier sometimes to give in than to fight over it; other times easier to think only about my own needs.
And just as I began to learn that dance, we had children. We adjusted to their varying heights and were less free to move around. I spent far more time fetching drinks for everyone and making trips to the bathroom than keeping time to the music. There was no standing still.
Next, a lot of messy people joined the dance floor asking for help. Some were unseemly characters. Others dressed nicely, but they didn’t know how to dance. Others were too weak and sick to dance. And the world of the dance floor suddenly became more complicated. While I was responding to the needs of the lonely ones on the bench or the thirsty ones in wheelchairs, my husband may have been in the mood to dance. And out of the corner of my eye, I watched one of our girls dancing her own dance with a guy. And my eyes and my heart were torn or divided or distracted or overwhelmed.
Add to that the God-element. In a fifth dimension, unseen to the human eye, the Holy Spirit and the evil one mingled among and through us, stirring us up, catching us when we stumbled, whispering lies or truth in each of our ears as we danced and sat and ate and drank.
I have a restlessness inside. Some days I just wish life would return to the days when I was a solo dancer, in control of my own decisions.
I know I must get away, and so I slip away from my dance partner, away from the tug of the needy ones, away from the vigilance on my children, and head to the balcony to drink in the night air and enjoy the stars. But just as I reach the top step, a noisy group comes spilling out of the room to join me, and the magic of the night is lost.
Instead, I find a quiet bench in the garden. I can still hear the music, and I know I can be interrupted at any time. I just want to go Home (with a capital “H”) where it’s safe, soft, peaceful, quiet. But it’s not time yet.
And so, for now, I slip further into the gardens, hiding behind a tree, hoping not to be found. But my dance partner is lonely and comes seeking me. And I set aside my own needs and return once more to the dance hall.
And the restlessness continues. It has nothing, really, to do with what’s going on around me. It’s not the people, the noise, or the distractions. It’s what’s going on inside my heart–an open door, a furnace burning inside my chest, stoked by anger. And even when I go home (lowercase “h”) the fire remains. Hot. There’s no escaping it.
In the middle of the dance floor, with my permission Jesus reaches out His hand, extinguishes the fire, and says, “Give Me the treasure of your heart.”
I’m willing, but I don’t understand—I don’t know what’s in it. Again, with my permission, He reaches into the door of my heart and retrieves a box. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” He explains. And I expect Him to take it up to heaven and deposit it under the throne. (Isn’t that what Matthew 6:20-21 teaches? “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven . . .”) But, instead, He places my box inside His own heart. “For safe keeping,” He says.
And now it doesn’t matter what goes on around me because I’m following my Treasure. When He says, “Dance,” I dance. When He says, “Rest,” I rest. When He says, “Serve,” I do that.
It’s not about controlling my world but about controlling my mind.
Some days when you play a game, the cards fall in your favor. Other times, no matter what you do, the cards go against you. Is that random chance or does God control the cards? But there’s a certain amount of man’s choice, too, such as how many times you shuffle the cards.
Take the following example. In the last month or two, the dollars began flying out the window—most of it not by choice, but by circumstances beyond our control.
Our air conditioner compressor goes out.
Our washing machine dies.
My Cutlas Ciera needs two new tires.
My CD burner dies.
I need a root canal.
Our youngest daughter needs some expensive health tests on her thyroid.
She falls at Fall Creek Falls and messes up her body.
She bumps her head, hard, on the car and begins to experience headaches.
She accidentally catches a strap on my rearview mirror and the mirror comes off the windshield, taking some of the glass with it.
She experiences her first flat tire.
And her first college school bill is due.
More cards to shuffle:
On Sunday evening, just as our five-day-Intensive client left, our middle daughter walked in the door after being gone for a week.
On Monday I started a new job.
On Tuesday I need to do the following:
Clean house, do laundry, shop for groceries.
Get new tires.
Be home for computer repairman and windshield repairman.
On Wednesday, I will need to get up very early to take my husband to the airport, meet with a client all day, and host a pool party for my ladies’ Bible study group in the evening.
But circumstances started changing, like cards falling right. Both the computer guy and the windshield repairman postponed, my middle daughter was here to clean for me, and she also offered to drive her dad to the airport. My youngest daughter’s thyroid test came back negative, and God miraculously healed her. A young man drove up and offered to change her tire.
Good-bad-good-bad. Each bad can actually be good—it all depends on your perspective. If a tire was going to blow, better on a back road in Murfreesboro than on the freeway. It might be the catalyst for preventing an accident later on.
But think of this: clearing Tuesday’s schedule for these two repairmen puts them coming on Thursday afternoon instead. That’s okay IF our client is finished by that time. Otherwise, it could be a double interruption. Is it God’s plan to destress my Tuesday, or Satan’s plan to interrupt Thursday? Not to worry. God has all things under control.
Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, says he sees life as two parallel tracks—good and bad running side by side. There’s always good happening, and there’s always bad. Even in the worst-case scenario, there’s something to be thankful for.
I hear the words “Abide in Me,” but I need a visual to make them more concrete. I picture myself in a hollow tree (if you know my affinity for trees, this should not surprise you) with a door and some windows in the trunk. It’s cozy inside, and I can rest (abide in Christ), or work if I choose, tidying up my space.
The inside of the tree is lined with a bread-like substance that I can munch on when I’m hungry. It always replenishes itself. And water? No problem. There’s a fountain of living water in the center.
When doubters peer through my windows, I can choose to believe their lies or I can tell them to go away. When I reject them, angels take their place to guard me.
In this visual, the tree house does not represent salvation. I could choose to step outside of the house—but there is no protection there from the elements and from the wolves. Better to stay inside and trust God to bring people to the door so we can fellowship with each other, and I can teach them the lessons I’ve learned.
If Jesus asks me to, I’m willing to leave my safe, cozy shelter. But first I must arm myself with the weapons of warfare, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. Why would I venture outside the tree? There are a few lost souls who are too weak to crawl to the door, and I need to find them, carry them to my house, and nurse them back to health. I may have to hand-feed them until they’re strong enough to feed themselves.
A 2024 Update. I may need to rethink this metaphor. I was processing life through a codependency grid back then, believing it was my job to rescue people. If I’m abiding in Christ, aren’t I taking my treehouse with me wherever I go? But why do I need warfare weapons if I’m inside my house? What other visual would help?
I confess I’m worried. About scholarships for our youngest daughter. About her school choices. About our savings account.
Worry is a wrinkled brow, a tightness in the neck, shoulders, and stomach. Worry keeps me focused on what is lacking instead of the potential. Worry keeps me bound. Worry is fear.
Worry is a frog on a lily pad floating downstream, hearing the roar of a waterfall ahead, and I’m helpless to stop, hop off the lily pad, or swim to the far shore against the current. What to do? It’s useless to fight. So, I relax, hang on, and get ready for the ride of my life. Over the waterfall, resurface, sputtering and gasping for air, lungs full of water. Feel like I’m dying. But I live to tell the tale. And I rest, recover, get up, and hop back onto my lily pad.
Face your worry. Imagine the end of the journey—survival or death. Either one, either way, there’s peace. So don’t worry!
Do you ever wonder: If Jesus is encapsulated forever in some sort of bodily form, how will we each get a turn to see Him in heaven? We perceive Him now with our mind’s eye or our imagination.
Here’s a crude analogy: our pastor speaks in one sanctuary, but we can see him on screen in another one. Right now, here on earth, we each see Jesus on a screen in our mind. We don’t see the literal Jesus but rather what our individual, personalized screen perceives.
What about the Holy Spirit? If Jesus is “out there” projected in front of me (or beside or behind or above me), then the Holy Spirit is inside me, looking out. But how can the Holy Spirit be everywhere at once? Don’t tell me, “Because He’s a spirit.” Do I have one part of Him in my heart? Or do I have all of Him? My mind can’t wrap around “I have all of Him.” But I can grasp, “I have the part of Him that is meant for me, personalized.” And my part is part of your part—all the same Being—so that when two believers meet, their spirits recognize The Spirit inside each other, and they rejoice.
So . . . in terms my mind can grasp, when I sit down to pray, it is not sacrilegious to picture it thus: Jesus is sitting comfortably on a pillow in front of me, talking to me face to face. I often don’t have much to say, so I let Him do most of the talking. But He delights to hear my stories, too, and He wants me to share with Him my day and how much His gifts bring me joy. Sometimes, when I’m praying for someone, I don’t know what to pray for. And that’s when the “eye” (the part of the Holy Spirit inside me) says, “Well, I know all things. I know what this person needs. How about I talk to Jesus for you?”
And Jesus says, “Oh, and I have an ‘in’ with the Father. I’m praying for you, you know.”
And I ask, “Show me the Father,” and He says, “I AM the Father, because I and My Father are one.”
Confusing?! It’s like the Father is a cloak that surrounds Jesus; only He’s not “wearing” the Father. It’s like Jesus’ skin is the Father. They are one. Or . . . Jesus is the Father with skin on.
Whew! I’m out of words and images. I won’t truly understand till I get to heaven and see Jesus face to face (however that works) and that’s okay.
“Sometimes you aren’t listening to your body because you’re listening to everybody else’s expectations.” AnnVoskamp.com
I’m reading a book entitled Plant Paradox that challenges much of what I’ve been taught. Who can I believe? Who has the answers? Opinions and research shift from one decade to the next. Eat potato skins, they say—that’s where the nutrients live; don’t eat the skins, others say, because that’s where the toxins stay. Egg yolks are bad for cholesterol; yolks and whites are best if eaten together. Don’t eat real butter—it has bad fat; don’t eat fake butter—it has too many chemicals. Aaackkk!
I just know that something has to give. I feel more tired and achy as the summer wears on—usually my most healthy season. Where is this inflammation coming from? How do I know what’s good for me and what’s not? Everyone has his or her pet opinion. And how do I balance buying organic vs. watching my budget? Or market-fresh vs. grocery stores vs. my shopping time? What’s most important to me? To God?
I eat pizza and pancakes every Saturday. And for company tonight I’m fixing a high-sugar dessert. How can I say no to that! My naturopath says to stay away from wheat and corn. The rheumatologist suggests avoiding nightshade veggies (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant)—all of which I just bought. Sigh.
I feel old when I’m tired and hurting and compare myself to an elderly couple at my church doing at their age what I don’t have the energy to do now at mine.
VISUAL: From the sidelines, I watch see this couple busily digging a ditch, while Jesus stands to one side observing us both. He hasn’t asked me to dig with these spry octogenarians, but somehow, I feel guilty.
“Look down at your feet,” He says.
I see water.
I don’t understand the significance. At first, I think, I need to bail this liquid out of my ditch. But then I realize the couple is digging for water, and I’ve already found mine. This is no reflection on them, no judgment—just an observation in the visual.
So, what’s next? I’m standing ankle-deep in clear, running water. It feels good on my sore feet. I’m allowed to stay here if I like . . . though I think, maybe I should help the couple dig for their water. Why should I stay here when others need me? So, I offer my services, but they wave me off.
“We love what we do!” they say. “If you like digging, you’re welcome to join us, but we don’t need your help. We’ve found our joy.”
Okay, I can live with that.
So, I stay here in the cool, refreshing water till something flows down my gully that requires attention. I’m grateful for those who answer the call to do. Today I am content to just be, a soft breeze caressing my cheek as I sit here on the patio of Starbucks, watching the cars go by, smelling coffee and perfume and fried food. It’s been a glorious day.
A 2024 Update. My inflammation is under control now and, fortunately, I don’t battle any allergies, or I might have a different opinion. I’ve settled on my mother’s philosophy and wisdom: eat what you want but in moderation. And eat lots of veggies.
In the Pursuit of Peace 