Good morning. 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 uses the comfortable phrase for the faithful who have died in the Lord, “they have fallen asleep”. It is a more peaceful way of saying that a loved one has passed from this physical life and is therefore in that moment between time from physical life to when they will greet the Lord face to face. The passage says: For 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. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. 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. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Our interest is in knowing the when, the timing, the exact order of events, the details of this transition from physical life to the spiritual realm. The Word of God uses the image of someone who is peacefully at rest. They are not eagerly waiting, nor are they already there, for it is a state of being that is not measured in time but in peace.
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52) everything changes. It is in that moment that our Lord Himself will come to us from heaven and shout His great command. With that great command heaven is ready for all made righteous by the blood of the Lamb.
What will Jesus say? What will be His shout of command?
We do not know for the Word does not tell us. I can only imagine.
What I imagine is that perhaps His shout will be “NO MORE!” No more sadness. No more pain. No more fear. No more crying. No more longing. No more shame. No more regret. No more loneliness. No more sorrow. No more death. “NO MORE!”
Come Lord Jesus!
Vern