The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep 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, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.

16 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 shall 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.”

Every once in a while my wife will say, “I miss your folks.” I do, too, but we both have the assurance that we will see them one day. Hope is scripture means future certainty. Not eveyone has that. I remember so well a woman who passed out after viewing the body of a loved one in her casket. She was revived with smelling salts –and then passed out again! How often we wish we could get counsel from those who have died. We do our best to remember them and what they might have said to us in certain situations.

The Thessalonian believers were concerned about those who had died. Where are they now? Paul assures them (and us) that believing in Jesus’ death and resurrection is the guarantee that we will see other believers when Jesus returns to Earth again. Are you looking for that day? Do you live with the awareness that Jesus could come at any moment? He can!! I’ve heard two men say only recently, “I believe we’re living in the last of the Last Days.”

Paul says that Jesus will come with a “commanding shout” (keleusma), with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God. The trumpet will give a frequency sound that only believers, living and dead, will hear and understand. And the power of Almighty God will raise the bodies of the dead believers from their graves. Body and soul will be united and all believers will be “snatched up” (harpazo) into the air to meet the LORD Jesus.

We all have friends who do not know Jesus as their LORD and Savior. Unless they come to know Him, they will be left behind to face the horrendous trouble that will then fall upon the Earth. More serious still, they will never be with us in Heaven, but will suffer the pain and agony of Hell for all eternity. Now is the time to reach them! Pray for them that they will forsake everything that holds them apart from Jesus. Pray that they will believe upon Him as their LORD and Savior. Only then will they hear His trumpet when He comes.

We love you and pray for you and for our unbelieving friends,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”