Those That Sleep
1st February January 2011
Well, since I did a blog on an apparent scriptural discrepancy last month... I thought ‘why not on another apparent discrepancy this month too’, one that bugged me for years. It can be found in the following text.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
13 - But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep [Christians that had died], that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. [Unbelievers have no hope after death, only judgement]
14 - For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. [Died Believing]
15 - For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord [Believers who are alive when Jesus returns], will not precede those who have fallen asleep. [Will not go before those that ‘sleep in Christ’]
16 - For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 - Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
You don’t have to look too closely to see it, especially since I have highlighted the conflicting verses. The statement...
‘God will bring with him [from Heaven] those who have fallen asleep’ directly conflicts with...
13 - But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep [Christians that had died], that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. [Unbelievers have no hope after death, only judgement]
14 - For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. [Died Believing]
15 - For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord [Believers who are alive when Jesus returns], will not precede those who have fallen asleep. [Will not go before those that ‘sleep in Christ’]
16 - For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 - Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
- And the dead in Christ will rise first of verse 16 and...
- Will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, of 17
Oh... I nearly forgot, here’s the link to my article:
Those That Sleep
