Those who truly submit to Yeshua and accept Him as Lord, who accept His sacrifice for our sins and declare Him Lord rightly have hope for life beyond this world. This can also give us comfort for the loss of loved ones who have “fallen asleep in Jesus”. It can also give us hope for ourselves as we face hardship and death in this world.
Those Who Died in Christ
13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15For 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. 16For 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.17Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words.
We should take care, however, not to fall into the trap that everyone who claims Christ or goes to church is living in obedience and right relationship with Yeshua. Many claim His name, but the fruit of their lives is disobedience rather than obedience… revealing they are not truly submitted to Him. Do not grow complacent in our own lives of the lives of others. Those who truly love Yeshua will continue to become more and more like Him and will bear fruit.
15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.
21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
Let our efforts not be selfishly about “getting to heaven” or doing the minimum to “check the box” with Yeshua. Let us realize that we are called to repent, to turn back our lives to His ways, to the instructions and the law which He followed and He taught. Do not overlook verse 23… ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlesslness.”
Churches continually teach against YHWH’s law and instructions as obsolete, claiming “Christian freedom” out of context and letting it be an excuse to basically do whatever they want rather than obeying what Yeshua taught and lived. The words of Yeshua call out those who practice lawlessness as those whom He does not know, despite their claiming His name.
Take time to reflect and pray on this subject. The law still have meaning for believers today. Seek to understand it and test what you have been taught against scripture.
For more, read Understanding the Law – What Does It Mean Today?
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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.