Tuesday: Resurrection and Restored Relationships
From the earliest days of the church the promise of Christ’s return has, perhaps more than anything else, sustained the hearts of God’s faithful people, especially during trials. Whatever their frightful struggles, whatever their inconsolable sorrows and pain, they had the hope of Christ’s return and all the wonderful promises the Second Advent contains.
Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. What promises are included in this passage? What does this say about the hope of restored relationships?
Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com
Christ’s second coming will affect all humanity in profound ways. An important aspect of the establishment of God’s kingdom is the gathering of the elect. “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matt. 24:31, NKJV). At the moment of this gathering, the righteous dead will be resurrected and receive immortality (1 Cor. 15:52-53). “The dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thess. 4:16, NKJV). This is the moment we all have been waiting for. The resurrected ones will reunite with those who have been longing for their presence and love. This is how Paul exults at this event: “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” (1 Cor. 15:55, NKJV).
It is not the diseased, aged, disfigured bodies that went down into the grave that come up in the resurrection, but new, immortal, perfect bodies, no longer marked by the sin that caused their decay. The resurrected saints experience the completion of Christ’s work of restoration, reflecting the perfect image of God intended at Creation (Gen. 1:26, 1 Cor. 15:46-49).
At the moment of Jesus’ second advent, when the redeemed dead are resurrected, the righteous alive on earth will be changed and also be given new, perfect bodies. “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:53, NKJV). So, these two groups of redeemed, the resurrected and transformed righteous, “shall be caught up together … in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17, NKJV).
| In our scientific age, even some Christians try to find a natural explanation for everything, even “miracles.” What does the promise of the resurrection teach us about why only the supernatural acts of God can save us? |
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Our end of year family get-together took place last night. Great food, enjoyable company and a lot of time spent catching up with family news. There was a touch of sadness though. Carmel's parents in their 90s were unable to come. They live 1000km away and Carmel's Mum has a broken arm and will be in hospital for quite some time. At the same time, my brother-in-law's 98-year-old mother was with us but suffering from a deteriorating heart had to be taken home early to rest. We know that these loved family members are reaching the end of their journey. And while we don't dwell on it, their age and condition sober our family gathering a little.
I guess that many of you have faced or are facing similar situations. This year I have been saddened at the loss of two friends I have made while being involved in SSNET. Broken relationships are a sad fact of living in a sin-tainted world.
The resurrection and the consequent restoration of these broken relationships is something that should sustain us as we spread the Gospel.
When we look at some of the issues that divide us, we need to remind ourselves of the hope that unites us.
Restoration is always the LORD'S message right from the beginning. Even when telling Adam and Eve the result of their sin he included the promise of the Messiah, when telling Noah He was destroying the world by a flood he included the promise of saving a remnant and recreating the world. The LORD has always been in the business of restoring relationships starting with ours with Him, then the one between people. Based on that principle we should understand Gen 3 i.r.o. marriage although it is not immediately clear, Jesus shows in his discourse on divorce which is a broken relationship and he says - it was not so from the beginning and he quotes the ideal that two should be one, even Paul agrees and quotes the ideal and clarifies by saying a husband should sacrifice himself for his wife and love her like he loves his own body and nourish and cherish her so does this explain what God meant in Gen 3?
Please I would like someone to give me a brief chronology of events from the first to the second resurrection and the final condemnation of the unrighteous. Will the unrighteous ever stand before God to know the sins they committed and when?
When shall the battle of Amargeddon happen?
Thank you as I wait for feedback.
Hi Bernard
Have a look at Revelation 19 & Revelation 20. What do you see revealed there in answer to your question?
How do you understand Armageddon? Literal ‘battle/war’ or metaphorical?
what happens to the people who have been bullied in their church so much that they had to leave. will God punish them. because God expects them to stay anyways?
That is a tough question and I often think of those who have left the faith through the actions of others. I am however, reminded of the many passages that speak of God's compassion and long-suffering.
These texts give some indication of the sort of God who we have to deal with - and I think they give us a lot of hope for those who have suffered at the hands of others in the church and at the same time warns those who perpetrate the bullying that they have to face the judgement.
thank you maurice for the honest and kind reply, quoting scripture as well. i am aware that this is a highly demanding situation. thank you also, for reminding me of Gods judgement.
It is Satan’s job to divide and conquer, one that he does very well. He sets us as targets against each other and many times he comes out the winner. No one is “forced” to do anything! It is always a matter of choice! Speculating on God’s judgement will lead us down the wrong road and certainly not to salvation.
We can educate the church on scenarios like this, and use them to teach unity. Re-emphasize the Matthew 28 guidelines. People will always leave the church for one reason or another. It is our duty to reach out to them in love and help in restitution. That is the bigger picture. Let’s leave the judgement to God.
Victoriam@
I have been wondering why christians judge others so quick. Have they not learned that they will be given the opportunity to judge with Christ in the upcoming 1000 years? Why are they judging prematurely? Surely, if we leave judgement in God's hand, we would be easily united as the church of God in this earth. We need to be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted and humble in spirit, never to break a bruised reed, never to quench a smoking flax as Maurice has quoted Scriptures.
"I have been wondering why christians judge others so quick."
Excellent question to consider.
People who are quick to judge often do this instead of undertaking the more uncomfortable and effortful task of fixing things up in their own lives. Pointing out the "specks" in the eyes of others gives the 'fake' feeling that they have been doing important work - which is a distractor-substitute for instead "taking the plank out of their own eye". This is what Matt 7:3-5 is talking about.
Being judgemental is also related to being insecure. Insecure people focus on others - again as a distractor. Secure people don't need to. The best security is the security we have in our acceptance, adoption and identity in Christ.
Hi Elle, Remember we need to have a relationship with the LORD and not allow others to separate us from Him even if their actions separate us from the group, the church does not save us only Jesus saves us. Tell them they are welcome to join our group on SSNET.
thank you for the reply, shirley. the biclical way would be to restore the relationship and talk to the brother/ sister. i personally did not know where to start. in this age emails get forwarded beyond our contol. same for texting. at some point i felt i need a own youtube channel or a speech option, in order to talk to the entire church. or talk to every individual at church, to explain my situation. i think a strong person would not care about human opinion so much but sometimes and in my case, someone becomes a member for healing. being destroyed and a trainwreck through everything the world has done to them. may it be out of naivity, or ignorance or arrogance, false information applied and so forth. thats the trouble. once the trust is broken, the church can become a confusing burden to the individual that is in need for rebuilding a life, in Christ. my congregation has done everything they could do, and needed to do. and there is no hard feeling per se. i think , what makes it hard for everyone when a very deluded person, like i was, joins a church. its a job for everyone. so i do not blame my congregation at all. its my insecurities that made it hard for me to be strong and move forward.
Hi Elle, I understand how hurtful it can be to expect caring and only to be hurt some more, you probably feel like Paul, hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted,struck down, but he survived by considering all his suffering but a light affliction for a moment compared to the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory 2Cor 4:17. I understand you would like the church to understand how they mishandled your case, however you and they are probably too close to the experience but if you could get your story published others might learn the lesson. For yourself listen to Peter, cast your cares on the LORD because He cares for you, 1Peter 5:7
As Christians we should know that its not an easy road. Whatever pain and afflictions we go through are temptations which the devil lure us to lose faith in Christ. SDA Hymnal 476 - Burdens are lifted in the Calvary. If we can imagine the pain our Saviour went through here on earth but He never gave in to the devil's demands. As children of God we need to be patient and to persevere and shame the devil. Most importantly we need to pray and forgive our trespassers. This 4th Quarter has all our answers in times of conflict and disunity in the church.
My thoughts on today lesson are Jehovah’s promise’s of restoration multiple times. In the old testament to His people, the Israelites, which applies to us too, knowing that if we turn to Him we are His people also(adopted people). We turn to Him He stands as our intercession forever to save us to the uttermost. Let me bring you a few of those wonderful promises. Psalms 23:3. “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” Isaiah 57:15. “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isaiah 57:18. “I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will also lead him, And restore comforts to him And to his mourners.” Then we will endure to the end as the fruition of our forever turning to Him will be, as depicted in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. “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 shall always be with the Lord.” I have never forgotten a modern rendition, lyric if you will, it gives me a graphic picture in words. “
Oh, I'll pass the clouds and shout so loud it may sound like thunder
My tearful eyes may fill the skies until it looks like rain
When I leave this world past the gates of pearl and stand before my Savior. I’ll let my soul let the glory roll when from the roll He calls my name.” Yes, restoration will be wonderful, face to face with Christ our Saviour.