may2002


	THE DEAD —ASLEEP OR AWAKE?


	Here's what the apostle Paul has to say about that:


	*"We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Him all those who have FALLEN ASLEEP in Him."* (1 Thess. 4:14).


	Is Paul telling us that those who have died in Christ are sleeping? That they are not enjoying the Lord and learning new things? Where would he get such an idea? Why would he apply "sleeping" to those "absent from the body and present with the Lord?" It appears he got it from Jesus. The Lord Himself said almost the same thing.


	WHEN DID JESUS REFER TO DEATH AS SLEEP?

The Lord and His disciples had gone to the other side of the Jordan for safety reasons. The Jews of Jerusalem were seeking to kill Him, because He claimed to be God (John 10:33). Then word comes from Bethany that His friend Lazarus is sick. Yet, when the Lord heard this, He deliberately stayed where He was for two more days (John 11:6). From the account, it is clear Jesus wanted Lazarus good and dead before He arrived at Bethany. His disciples were afraid to go back across the Jordan, for Bethany was but 2 miles from Jerusalem. However the Lord insisted He had work to do there. After that he went on to tell them:


	*"Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but l am going there to wake him up!"* (vs. 11). The disciples thought Jesus was referring to natural sleep, so the Lord corrected them: "Lazarus is dead and for your sakes l am glad I was not there, so that you may believe."


	LAZARUS HAD TO BE DEAD


	The Lord knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead and He wanted His disciples to witness the resurrection. He told them in advance He was going to "wake him up" and now they would watch Him do it. They heard Him speak aloud to His Father and then call in a loud voice:


	"LAZARUS, COME OUT!"

We can only guess how Lazarus felt when he opened his eyes to find himself on a shelf in a tomb. With his body wrapped in burial windings and light coming in from the entrance, he was astonished to discover himself dressed as a corpse. The last thing he knew was that he was sick. He certainly had no recollection of dying. In the next instant he is suddenly awake with someone calling him. Off the shelf he rolls and hobbles his way to the light. The Lord ordered his grave clothes removed and that's all the text tells us. When next we see him, he's having dinner with Jesus (John 12:2).


	WHAT DOES THIS TELL US?

The Lord called death sleeping and Paul says we sleep in Jesus. What are we to make of this? Well, it's not all that strange really. We've heard of cases where people have been in comas for years and wake up, having no awareness of time passing. That's the nature of sleep, isn't it? Whether you drop off at night or are under an anesthetic, when you awaken the interval between falling asleep and returning to awareness is—GONE. You remember nothing.


	The apostle Paul also said...


	*"Listen...we shall not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet"* (1 Cor. 15:51, 52). It would seem we go from sleeping to appearing with Jesus in the sky. Apparently there is no gap between falling asleep and suddenly finding ourselves with Jesus even though years may have passed in time.

Is that what the apostle is telling us when he says..."To be absent from the body and present with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8 KJV) Is there no interval between leaving our bodies and finding ourselves with the Lord? It would appear so. If it were otherwise, we would expect him to give us some teaching on what happens between the death of our bodies and our appearance with Him in the sky (Col. 3:4). But Paul doesn't do that, does He? So we conclude—there is no interval as far as we're concerned. To our relatives and friends left behind, they are aware of the years that have passed.


	DO WE AWAKEN IN ETERNITY?

Not really, though it may seem to us that is what is happening. When a person's body dies, the corpse is disposed of (burial or cremation) and the individual goes to sleep in an UNCONSCIOUS state where there is no awareness of time. A thousand years could pass on earth and the believer would have no awareness of it. Thus when a Christian dies, the next thing he knows, he's with the Lord in the sky.


	*"When Christ who is your life shall appear, then you also will appear with Him in glory!"* (Col. 3:4).


	It is safe to say that when He appears, we appear! And it will all take place in the "twinkling of an eye." Here's what appears to happen: the split second our eyes close in physical death, we suddenly find ourselves with the Lord and the whole family of believers in the sky! Yet there is no memory of his or her ever being asleep.


	THE MOMENT WE DIE, WE APPEAR WITH JESUS IN THE SKY!

What a day of rejoicing that will be! We'll be in our glorified bodies, bodies not subject to natural laws (1 Cor. 15:44). Therefore we can cavort in the clouds with no danger of falling to the earth. We'll have a feast too, a feast of fellowship. Not only will we get to hug the Lord, but we can enjoy Moses and David and Paul, and our believing relatives who died before us. Should be a fabulous time! A real feast of fellowship.

NOT ALL FUN AND GAMES, HOWEVER

We could be in the sky for some time, possibly for 6 weeks. On earth the Antichrist/Beast will be gathering his forces from around the world, thinking to prevent Jesus from taking over the earth and setting up His kingdom. It will take some time for him to rally his forces from around the world. He won't even start such an operation until he sees the sight in the sky. That will be his signal to get moving.


	THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST

While we're in the sky, the Lord will take up an urgent matter before touching down on Mt. Olivet (Zech. 14:4). Since His saints are going to reign with Him on the earth, their earthly lives must be evaluated so as to determine who is qualified for what job. It is safe to say, the place we give Jesus in this life determines the place He will give us in His kingdom. Paul calls this event the "judgment seat of Christ" (2 Cor. 5:10). Clearly, this is the most solemn and frightening moment in the life of a Christian.


	WHAT JESUS REALLY WANTS


	Right now God is sharing His life with us as the Holy Indweller. When we're saved, we receive Christ via the Holy Spirit and He comes into our hearts to make Himself at home in us (John 14:20, 23). He does His best to get as close to us as possible WITHOUT VIOLATING OUR FAITH. How much closer can you get to a person than being INSIDE HIM? Emerson caught this when he penned his famous lines:


	*"Speak to Him for He hears, and spirit with Spirit meet; closer is He than breathing, nearer than hands and feet!"*

Someone closer than our own breath is eager to embrace us and crush us to Himself. He created us for FELLOWSHIP (1st John 1:3). Indwelling us by His Spirit is as close as He can get. But what do we do? Most of the time, I fear, we IGNORE HIM! We hardly think of Him except when we want something or we're in some kind of trouble. I've read where the average pastor spends less than 5 minutes a day in prayer.


	SO DELIGHT THYSELF IN THE LORD

You've heard that before. It's Psalm 37:4. You find this verse on wall plaques in many Christian homes—yet how many know HOW to delight in the Lord? Consider also: "DRAW NIGH TO GOD AND HE WILL DRAW NIGH TO YOU" (James 4:8). Did you know that is for believers? He will get as close to us as we will get to Him. It is an invitation to "cuddle with Christ." Until you can do that, you'll never bring Him the INTIMACY HE CRAVES.


	If you listen to the Spirit as you read this article, you'll hear the Lord pleading with you to DELIGHT YOURSELF IN HIM! But if a Christian doesn't know how, he can't do this. Who can do anything he doesn't know HOW? Have you ever longed to shower your affection on Him? Of course you have. When you minister to Him like this, you find you are meeting the greatest longing of His soul.

If you don't know how to minister to the Lord, don't worry. It would give me great pleasure to explain how it's done. Imagine enjoying the eternal God as a close, intimate Friend! That KNOW HOW is in our book LONGING TO BE LOVED. You may be a widow/widower, divorced and alone, a shut in, depressed or just worried, I guarantee you that getting close to Jesus can lift you out of your troubles, especially when you feel the touch of His Spirit on yours!


	How To Minister To The Lord



		CLICK HERE


	Picture yourself a split-second after your body dies. That also calls for a celebration. There you are with Jesus in the clouds! And will you be afraid to look Him in the eye? NO, not if you have already learned to minister to Him. Chances are, His arms will be outstretched to grab you and give you the most wonderful hug...you have ever known!






	This article is Copyright 2002 by Dr. C. S. Lovett and is found on www.cslovettbooks.com