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| "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" (1 Thessalonians 4:17) |
Most people in America believe in heaven. A recent study by Ligonier ministries that
was reported by my friend, Bob Smietana and LifeWay research stated that in a
survey of 3,000 Americans, 67% agreed that Heaven is a real
place.
If a similar survey had been taken in the first few
centuries of the church the questions would have been worded a little
differently. Most scholars agree that
the early church clearly was anticipating both the physical return of Jesus Christ
and the resurrection of the saints.
These two events in the eyes of these early Christians were not only
closely linked but also likely at any moment.
The writings of the Apostle Paul, the Revelation of Jesus
Christ written by St. John and the gospel accounts include much detail on the
resurrection including the order of the resurrection and the events preceding
it.
Based on the teachings we find in the New Testament on
the resurrection, it is apparent that the early church did not spend much time contemplating
the intermediate state of ‘heaven’ but were waiting for the return of Christ
and the resurrection. Like the
Apostles, most early Christians expected that Jesus would return soon and the
hope was that the departed saints would be resurrected.
The Apostle Paul addresses this issue in his letter to
the Thessalonians 4:14-16
For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen
asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who
are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who
have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the
dead in Christ will rise first.
Of the two Jewish religious groups at the time of Jesus,
the Sadducees, who were the powerful ruling party, did not believe in the
resurrection and tried to trip Jesus up in their question about the seven
brothers. Jesus not only showed them how they were wrong but also gave some
information on how in the resurrection people would neither marry or be given
in marriage but be like the angels. (Mark 12:18-27).
Like the early Christians, we need to again embrace the
wealth of scriptural teachings on the resurrection. This is the true hope of the believer. While Christians have been waiting for almost
2,000 years for the return of Jesus, we are closer today than ever before. Many
look at the events in Jerusalem and around the world including signs in the sky
as an indication that the time is near.
For the believer, the promise of Jesus that he was going to return
should be more than sufficient.
I believe that the teaching of the resurrection was emphasized in the early church to clearly show the victory that Christ had over the finality of death in His resurrection. If Jesus was just “heaven-bound” it would be
not much different than the testimony we give about our departed grandmothers and grandfathers. It is also in the teaching of the resurrection
that the prophecy of Jesus as the coming King, the restoration of Israel, the
wrath of God on the ungodly, the new heavens and the new earth all come into
focus and bring clarity and hope to those of us alive today.
He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am
coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (Rev 22:20)
