Death of a believer

Psalm 139: 13-16

Every day of our lives has been laid out by God

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. (NLT)

13 For You formed my inward parts; You [f]covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for [g]I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 15 My [h]frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. (NKJV)

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day. (MSG)

Job 14: 5, 14

God decides the length of our lives

5 You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer. 14 Can the dead live again? If so, this would give me hope through all my years of struggle, and I would eagerly await the release of death. (NLT)

5 Since his days are determined,

The number of his months is with You;

You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass

14 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes. (NKJV)

5 Mortals have a limited life span. You’ve already decided how long we’ll live— you set the boundary and no one can cross it.

14 If we humans die, will we live again? That’s my question. All through these difficult days I keep hoping, waiting for the final change—for resurrection! (MSG)

Commentary:

Life is short and full of trouble, Job laments in his closing remarks to this first round of conversation. Sickness, loneliness, disappointment, and death cause Job to say that life is not fair. Some understand verses 14 and 15 to mean that, even in his gloom, Job hoped for the resurrection of the dead. If this is true, then Job understood the one truth that could put his suffering in perspective. God’s solution to believers who live in an unfair world is to guarantee life with him forever. No matter how unfair your present world seems. God offers the hope of being in his presence eternally. Have you accepted this offer? (Source: Tyndale Life Application Study Bible NLT)

Psalms 56:8

God keep track of all our sorrows, tears

8 You keep track of all my sorrows.[b] You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. (NLT)

8 You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? (NKJV)

8 You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, Each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book. (MSG)

Commentary:

Even in our deepest sorrow, God cares! Jesus reminded us further of how much God understands us – even the hairs on our head are all numbered (Matthew 10:30). Often we waver between faith and fear. When you feel so discouraged that you are sure no one understands, remember that God knows every problem and sees every tear. (Source: Tyndale Life Application Study Bible NLT)

Hebrews 9:24-28

Each person is destined to die once

24 For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. 25 And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal.

26 If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he (Jesus) has appeared at the end of the age[k] to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.

27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,

28 so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. (NLT)

24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are [k]copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another—

26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. (NKJV)

23-26 That accounts for the prominence of blood and death in all these secondary practices that point to the realities of heaven. It also accounts for why, when the real thing takes place, these animal sacrifices aren’t needed anymore, having served their purpose. For Christ didn’t enter the earthly version of the Holy Place; he entered the Place Itself, and offered himself to God as the sacrifice for our sins. He doesn’t do this every year as the high priests did under the old plan with blood that was not their own; if that had been the case, he would have to sacrifice himself repeatedly throughout the course of history. But instead he sacrificed himself once and for all, summing up all the other sacrifices in this sacrifice of himself, the final solution of sin.

27-28 Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Christ’s death was also a one-time event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever. And so, when he next appears, the outcome for those eager to greet him is, precisely, salvation. (MSG)

Commentary:

24-28: All people die physically, but Christ died so that we would not have to die spiritually. We can have wonderful confidence in his saving work for us, doing away with sin – past, present, and future. He has forgiven our past sin – when he died on the cross, he sacrificed himself once for all (9:26); he has given us the Holy Spirit to help us deal with present sin; he appears before God for us now in heaven (9:24); and he promises to return (9:28) and raise us to eternal life in a world where sin will be banished.

26: The “end of the age” refers to the time of Christ’s coming to earth in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. Christ ushered in the new era of grace and forgiveness. We area still living in the “end of age”. The day of the Lord has begun and will be completed at Christ’s return.

27: Judgement is not a popular theme today, but the Bible teaches that judgment is coming. Do you look forward to Christ’s return, or do you see it as a threat? As sure as death itself, judgement there will be no higher court of appeal should the verdict not be to your liking. If you hope for a favorable verdict in this court, put your hope entirely on Jesus. Pray today – now if you haven’t before – for the freedom and pardon Jesus has won for you. Then rejoice that God’s judgment of you will be based on the perfect life of his Son, Jesus. After that, tell others, for many will face an unfavorable judgment without Jesus. (Source: Tyndale Life Application Study Bible (NLT)

Romans 8:28

God causes everything to work together for the good of us

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[m] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (NLT)

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (NKJV)

28 That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. (MSG)

Commentary:

26-27: As a believer, you are not left to your own resources to cope with problems. Even when you don’t know the right words to pray, the Holy Spirit prays with and for you, and God answers. With God helping you pray, you don’t need to be afraid to come before him. Ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for you “in harmony with God’s own will.” Then, when you bring your request to God, trust that he will always do what is best.

28: God works in “everything” – not just isolated incidents – for our good. This does not mean that all that happens to us is good. Evil is prevalent in our fallen world, but God is able to turn every circumstance around for our long-range good. Note that God is not working to make us happy but to fulfill his purpose. Note also that this promise is not for everybody. It can be claimed only by those who love God and are called by him, that is, those whom the Holy Spirit convinces to receive Christ. Such people have a new perspective, a new mind-set. They trust in God, not I worldly treasures; their security is in heaven not on earth. Their faith in God does not waver in pain and persecution because they know God is with them. (Source: Tyndale Life Application Study Bible NLT)

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

When Jesus returns, God will bring back with Him the believers who have died ... All the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.

The Hope of the Resurrection

13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died[f] so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.[g] 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died[h] will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words. (NLT)

The Comfort of Christ’s Coming

13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen [b]asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who [c]sleep in Jesus.

15 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 by no means precede those who are [d]asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 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. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. (NKJV)

The Master’s Coming

13-14 And regarding the question, friends, that has come up about what happens to those already dead and buried, we don’t want you in the dark any longer. First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus.

15-18 And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence—we have the Master’s word on it—that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they’ll be ahead of us. The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God’s trumpet blast! He’ll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they’ll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we’ll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words. (MSG)

Commentary:

The Thessalonians were wondering why many of their fellow believers had died and what would happen to them when Christ returned. Paul wanted the Thessalonians to understand that death is not the end of the story.

The great hope for all believers is in the Resurrection. Because Jesus Christ came back to life so will all believers, including those who have already died. Therefore, we need not despair when loved ones died or world events take a tragic turn. God will turn tragedy to triumph, poverty to riches, pain to glory, and defeat to victory. All believers throughout history will stand reunited in God’s very presence, safe and secure. As Paul comforted the Thessalonians with the promise of the Resurrection, wo we should comfort and reassure each other with this great hope.

15: What did Paul mean when he wrote, “We tell you this directly from the Lord”? Either this was something that the Lord had revealed directly to Paul, or it was a teaching of Jesus that had been passed along orally by the apostles and other Christians.

15-18: Knowing exactly when the dead will be raised, in relation to the others events at the Second Coming, is not as important as knowing why Paul wrote these words: to challenge believers to comfort and encourage one another. This passage can be great comfort when any believers dies. The same love that should unite believers in this life (4:9) will unite believers when Christ returns and reigns for eternity. (Source: Tyndale Life Application Study Bible NLT)

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