To Die Is Gain

[Navy CW4]

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)

Although the glorious resurrection bodies which have been promised all believers must await the return of Christ, even the spirit-existence after death is better than this present life for the believer. Paul himself expressed "a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better" (v. 23)--"to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:.

Thus, it is "gain" when a Christian dies! Since Christ, in His resurrection body, is in heaven at the right hand of the Father, the spirits of "sleeping" Christians are also there. The intermediate state is somewhat analogous to the dreaming state, in which the consciousness travels to various places and experiences while the body is asleep. In fact, death is called "sleep" for the Christian (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

However, in some amazing way, these conscious spirits of believers are still distinct and recognizable. Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:3), as well as Samuel (1 Samuel 28:12-19), were identifiable in their spirit-form, even by people here on earth.

One of the greatest blessings of dying and going to be with the Lord will be the joy of returning with Him "at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints" (1 Thessalonians 3:13). "Them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. . . . And the dead in Christ shall rise first" (1 Thessalonians 4:14, 16), just before the "rapture" and glorification of the saints who are still living. As wonderful as it might be to live until Christ returns, it will be even better to be with Him!

The death of a Christian, therefore, may be a time of loss and grief for those left behind, but it is a time of joy and blessing for the one who dies, including a happy reunion with those who have gone before.

[Nighthawk]

Great post Navy   i was wondering i have read it a few times but when it says the dead in christ does it mean non believers or christains who have already gone to be with him    Love the post and God bless you

[Mouko OCS]

Night....1 Thessalonians 4:16 - "dead in Christ" refers to those Christians who've died.

[Nighthawk]

Thanks Mouko iam reading it now much more understanding of it thanks kinda stupid question after rereading it   

[TheLastSparten OCS]

Everyone who has been on this Earth will recieve a body when Christ comes.

It was a promise made by God, and will obviously be kept.

[Heff OCS]

Heffenism # 263:

The only stupid question is the one not asked.

Feel free to quote me on that, 

[Nighthawk]

Thanks Heff   MOOOOOOOO what a mighty God we serve and doing it well God bless you

[Mouko OCS]

Everyone who has been on this Earth will recieve a body when Christ comes.

It was a promise made by God, and will obviously be kept.

Well, only the Christian will receieve a glorified body...as for the rest...well...unfortunately for them, that'll be the least of their concerns.

[The Deacon OCS]

Agreed Mouko, except those that died without Christ will have a new body in that it will be an "eternal" one that will stay in Hell.

I always thought that the dead in Christ would rise first because they had 6 feet further to travel, since they are underground  (just kidding)

[Mouko OCS]

Agreed Mouko, except those that died without Christ will have a new body in that it will be an "eternal" one that will stay in Hell.

For those in Christ, a glorified body for eternity...no more prone to sin, sickness, sadness...for the lost, eternal torment...

I always thought that the dead in Christ would rise first because they had 6 feet further to travel, since they are underground  (just kidding)

Oy...LOL...smart-alek...lol...funny...

[Nighthawk]

Ok Heff    thats another thing i have wonder  why are we not with christ when we die you know the ones who are saved and have died before his coming  Please would you try to give me your point of View Mouko or Deacon or some one who could explain it as well   

[The Deacon OCS]

Sorry, not an easy subject that can be explained in a couple of sentences. Here is some commentary from Wycliffe. Let me know if you have any question after reading this.

D. Comfort One Another with the Hope of the Second Coming. 4:13-18.

Among the problems brought to Paul's attention by Timothy was the role of the dead believers at Christ's second advent. In Paul's discussions, the emphasis seems to have been on the imminence of the return. But persecution and affliction apparently took their toll of believers' lives. What would be the lot of such? Would death have robbed them of participation in the Grand Event? On the contrary, Paul says, they are to share fully in the glories of that day. Christ's death and resurrection are the guarantee of this. These comforting words of Paul were not intended to give a systematic picture of the last things, but were geared to the problem at hand.


1 Thessalonians 4:13
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.

I would not, etc. Compare Rom 1:13; 11:25; 1 Cor 10:1; 12:1; 2 Cor 1:8, where, as here, the statement introduces a new and important subject. In each instance brethren is used to add a note of tenderness. Asleep. To be "dead in Christ" (1 Thess 4:16) is to be asleep, for Christ by his death and resurrection (4:14) has taken the sting out of death. No allusion to 'soul sleeping' is involved. Paul had in mind the bodies of dead believers. Others. Rather, the others, those outside of Christ (cf. 4:12). No hope. This could well be the epitaph of unbelievers. Hope refers to the Second Coming, with all its attendant blessings. Sadness and loneliness are death's inescapable companions, but bitter grief and desperate hopelessness should play no role in the emotions of a bereaved believer, because he knows in advance the final chapter of history's plot.


1 Thessalonians 4:14
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

If we believe. "And we do believe" is the idea conveyed by the Greek construction. Jesus died. "Sleep" will not do here. Christ took the full cup of death that he might triumph over it (Heb 2:14-15). And rose again. His triumph assures ours (cf. 1 Thess 1:10). God is emphatic here. He who raised Jesus is the Guarantor and Agent of our resurrection. Sleep in Jesus is sleep through Jesus, the idea being that through him death is transformed into sleep. With him. Paul answers the major question: Dead believers will not miss the parousia; God will see to it that they accompany Christ on his triumphal return (3:13).


1 Thessalonians 4:15
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

By the word, etc., gives authority to Paul's statements (cf. 1 Cor 7:10). The source of the word is uncertain. Among the possible sources: (1) Matt 24:30-31 and parallel passages; (2) an unrecorded saying of Christ (cf. Acts 20:35); (3) a special revelation from the Lord (cf. 2 Cor 12:1; Gal 1:12,16; 2:2). We which are alive. Paul frequently stresses the imminence of Christ's return (1 Cor 7:29; Phil 4:5). Like all believers, he hoped to live to share in the event (1 Cor 16:22; Rev 22:20). Without stating that Christ would come during his lifetime, he seemed to welcome the possibility (cf. 1 Cor 15:51 ff.). Shall not. By no means. Prevent. Come before, precede.


1 Thessalonians 4:16
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

The all-important fact is that the Second Advent centers in the activity of the Lord himself. The terse phrases add to the drama: (1) with a shout, a call of command like that of an officer to his soldiers, probably given by the Lord; (2) with the voice, etc., may be an explanation of the shout; both voice and archangel are indefinite in the Greek, and the idea is probably a voice such as an archangel uses, as Milligan suggests; (3) with the trump of God, a trumpet dedicated to God's service (Milligan); in 1 Cor 15:52 Paul twice mentions a trumpet in connection with the Second Coming (cf. Joel 2:1; Isa 27:13; Zech 9:14 for OT background). These three phrases convey the splendor of the scene and the Lord's majestic authority. Dead in Christ. The bodies of dead believers. First. Dead believers will precede living ones.


1 Thessalonians 4:17
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

We which are alive. See 1 Thess 4:15. Shall be caught up. Snatched up suddenly and forcibly, raptured. Together with them. Members of Christ's body will be reunited with each other as well as with their great Head. The clouds add to the mystery and drama of the event (cf. Matt 24:30; Acts 1:9; Rev 1:7). In the air. The absolute pre-eminence of Christ is underscored by his using the dwelling place of evil spirits (Eph 2:2; 6:12) for this rendezvous. With the Lord. The heart of the passage-endless fellowship with Christ. Where? Does the whole retinue ascend to heaven or return to earth? Any answer given will depend on the total interpretation of NT eschatology adopted. Pre-tribulationists posit an ascension with a subsequent return to earth. Post-tribulationists hold that a descent to earth follows this reunion.


1 Thessalonians 4:18
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

To a church struggling to maintain itself in a society that was at best heedless and at worst hostile, these were comforting words indeed. We should note that Paul does not discuss here the relation of the Rapture to the Tribulation.
(from The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1962 by Moody Press)

[Nighthawk]

WOW Deacon that was great all the things in my heart and mind and things i have read and heard just come swooping together i recieved a whole new revolation Thank you Brother for allowing God to work so preciously thru you i truely am ssitting here in awe what a Loving gracious Lord we server  thank you Jesus  i love you Jesus

[TheLastSparten OCS]

Christ's sacrifice encompassed all those who had lived and will live.

The Secound Coming is a lot closer than you might think.  Will you be in the right place when it happens?



Place= Spiritual State of Being

[Nighthawk]

True Spartan it is very close  but what i real think you see in The Deacon and some many more here at OCS is not sacrifice but God driven obediance 

[Mouko OCS]

Christ's sacrifice encompassed all those who had lived and will live.
Place= Spiritual State of Being

You're right Sparten, Jesus' sacrifice was the once and for all sacrifice for those who would repent and believe.   His was the only sacrifice that could accomplish what the law of God required as the payment for sin.  What is truly amazing about this sacrifice is that, unlike the sacrificial system of the law and the many animals killed through it, this sacrifice of Jesus Christ was the FINAL sacrifice...effective for all who would believe and turn to Jesus in faith.  It paid for all sin of the believer.  There is no more sacrifice to be made.  We who have died to sin no longer live to or for ourselves...but to God in Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:15 and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

Romans 6:10,11 For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Thanks for the post Deacon. 

[Nighthawk]

oh my  sorry Spartan i miss read your post  about christ sacrifice why i add christains sacrifice  i dont know but iam sorry but its still the truth   

[The Deacon OCS]

Just so others who may read this are clear, the Bible (in Christ's Words) give us a warning that you must accept His sacrifice and His gift. To deny Christ is to reject His gift of life and send yourself straight to hell.

Matt 10:32-33

32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
KJV


From Chuck Missler (prophecy teacher)

Hell was not created for humans, but for Satan and his angels (Matt 25:41). God gave His Son to die for mankind so that all who believe in him can have eternal life (John 3:16), and He does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). But, those who reject the sacrifice of the Lamb of God will be subject to the punishment their sins deserve (Rev. 21:. God is merciful and patient and full of love, but He is also perfectly holy and perfectly just, and nothing that defiles will be allowed into Heaven (Rev. 21:27).

While many Christians will say, "Yes, I believe in Hell," we often do not act like it. If we truly recognized that the unsaved people in our lives might die tomorrow and end up in eternal punishment, we might appreciate the urgency of telling them about the good news of the Gospel. Hell is not a scare tactic. It is a real danger that every one of us faces. The great gift of our loving God is freedom from that punishment, and eternity with Him in Paradise.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: - 1 Peter 3:15

Also, Jesus warned us to:

Enter ye in at the strait [narrow] gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. - Matthew 7:13-15

If the gate you're relying on is wide, with a large majority taking advantage of it, you've got the wrong gate ! And for many, the truth about death should be terrifying. They will be in for a shocking surprise.

[Mouko OCS]

Amen Deacon...

[PureKnight OCS]

I enjoy this post very much... this "doctrine" is always confusing and, at the same time, interesting!

After all, Jesus said it is not for us to know the time or when will Jesus come back. IT is our responsible to be "fisher of men" so that we can celebrate together as well as angels sing "REJOICE REJOICE REJOICE" in the Heaven.