In the name of Christ Jesus, dear Christian friends,

Last week, we learned the signs that the end of the world is coming. But, what will happen at the end of the world? What will happen on Judgment Day? That is our lesson for today.

1. "Jesus died and rose again" to redeem us (vv. 13-14). The inspired apostle Paul wrote, {13} "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope." We should not be "ignorant" or uninformed about "those who fall asleep," about believers in Jesus who have died. Scripture says that these believers fell "asleep." This is not just a euphemism, a nice, gentle way of speaking to soften the blow of a word like death. No! For Christians, death is only a sleep because we will rise from death.

So, we should not grieve like hopeless unbelievers. God does not forbid us to cry when a believing loved one dies. But, he does not want us to keep on grieving as if there were no hope. When an unbeliever dies, there is no hope. They are lost and condemned, so there is no comfort. People may say nice things, but they aren't true. When an unbeliever dies, there is no hope, because Jesus said, "whoever does not believe will be condemned." And he meant it! When unbelievers die, they don't go to a better place. They don't go to a happy place. So, we should not pretend that they do. God says that they suffer eternal punishment in hell. On the other hand, when a believer dies, that believer's soul goes to be with Jesus forever. If one of our dear loved ones should fall asleep believing in Jesus, we very well might shed some tears. There is nothing wrong with that. Even Jesus wept! But, we will not grieve as if there is no hope. No! We will take comfort in the promise of life everlasting through Christ. You know, when we focus on ourselves, we are sad that we can't see our loved one anymore; but when we focus on them, and realize that they experience perfect joy forever in heaven, we are glad for them. That takes faith!

{14} We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. The reason why believers go to heaven is that Jesus died and rose again. We believe that Jesus died and rose again to redeem us. The Bible tells us all about it. We deserve to perish in sin. We deserve to be condemned to hell. But Jesus saved us! He lived a perfect life and died on the cross to pay for all of our sins. He rose from death. He conquered death. Whoever believes in Jesus will not perish, but will have eternal life. Jesus himself said, (Jn 11:25) "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies." Believers live forever because Jesus defeated death. We do not need to be afraid to die, because Jesus died and rose again. We are going to heaven, because Jesus died and rose again.

The Last Day, Judgment Day, is coming soon. And if that day should come today, we would still be alive! What would happen then? We would see Jesus return! And we would see the resurrection of the dead, for...

2. He will raise all the dead (vv. 15-16). The inspired apostle continues: {15} "According to the Lord's own word, 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." If we are still alive on Judgment Day, we will see the dead rise again. Jesus will raise all the dead on Judgment Day. But, believers will rise to be with Jesus. We will not go ahead of them to meet the Lord. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 tells us that this will all happen "in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye."

Scripture reveals what will happen on that last day. {16} For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Jesus will come down from heaven. He will do this visibly, just like his Ascension in reverse. The angel said that Jesus will come back in the same way he ascended. Just as the disciples stood there watching him ascend, we will all see him come down from heaven, if we are still alive. And we will hear a loud command. Most likely the Lord will speak this command, but we are not certain what he will say. Maybe he will say that the world has ended, just as he created the world by his divine command. Maybe this command refers to him raising the dead. When Jesus raised Lazarus from death, he said, "Lazarus, come out!" Maybe Jesus will say, "Let the dead be raised!" Whatever it is, there will be a loud command. And we will hear the voice of the archangel. Michael is the only archangel mentioned by name in the Bible. We are not certain if there are others. We will hear the archangel and... the trumpet call of God. No one will sleep past this alarm! This will be the end of the time of grace. This will be the end of the world. It will be Judgment Day. There will be no more delay!

Everyone will have to appear before the judgment seat of Christ. No one will avoid this. All will be present, with soul and body reunited. In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus said that he will separate all people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the believers on his right, and the unbelievers on his left. This section of 1 Thessalonians does not focus on what happens to the unbelievers, but Jesus reveals that they will be condemned to everlasting punishment. Here, the inspired apostle focuses only on what happens to the believers.

3. Believers "will be with the Lord forever" (vv. 17-18). If Judgment Day is today, we will hear the loud command, the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God. All of the dead will rise. {17} After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. These are happy words. We will join the other believers who have risen from death and "meet the Lord in the air."

Many Christian books talk about "the rapture" as if believers will bodily ascend to heaven, while the world continues. Bumper stickers say to look out, in case of the rapture. But that is wrong. If the term "rapture" has not been completely ruined by false teachers, this is the rapture here. On the Last Day, all believers will meet the Lord Jesus in the air. But this happens on Judgment Day, after Christ visibly returns and raises the dead.

When I was a boy, I was a little afraid to hear about Judgment Day. It scared me to think about the destruction of the world by fire. I wanted to be dead by then so I wouldn't have to be there when the fire came down. But, I misunderstood. If we are still alive on Judgment Day, we believers will not be destroyed with the world. We will meet the Lord in the air! Then, after the Lord destroys this sinful world, he will make the "new heavens and the new earth," the home of righteousness. That's where we will live for all eternity. Picture it like the Garden of Eden restored, like Paradise regained! We and the world will be perfect. And we will be with the Lord forever!

{18} Therefore encourage each other with these words. Don't keep this to yourself. Encourage one another. When a believer dies, use these words to comfort one another. Sometimes, we go to the funeral home and we don't know what to say. Some say, "I'm so sorry at your loss." But, when a believer dies, it is a great victory! You can say of a believer, "She went to heaven!" Or, "he's with Jesus now, and will be happy forever." You can say, "She won't suffer anymore, thanks to Jesus." Encourage each other with the comfort God provides!

This is not just for funeral homes either! As life on earth gets harder and harder, we need encouragement. Things on earth are not going to get better. They're going to get worse! As that happens, let's remind each other that Jesus will return soon! Then everything will be perfect. We should not be afraid of Judgment Day. That is the day of our final deliverance when God gives us a glorified body and a perfect world to live in. Let's look forward to it! On that Last Day, Jesus will say, (Mt25:34) "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world." He will take us to be with him forever! So, for us, this is actually good news:

THE LORD JESUS WILL RETURN ON JUDGMENT DAY! Amen.