I've said many times that my preference for the end of my life is that JESUS COMES BACK BEFORE I die!  I'm sure that would be the preference of any believer, since it means we won't have to face death.  A big part of the Good News we believe and tell others as followers of Jesus is that death has been defeated.  Part of that defeat is Jesus' return to establish His eternal reign.  The Apostle Paul pictured Jesus' return like this:   ¹⁶For 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 Christians who have died will rise from their graves.   ¹⁷Then, 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

As I mentioned in my message on Sunday, this description of Jesus' return has resulted in a 2,000 year long "debate" over whether we die and go see Jesus right away (if we die before He returns), or whether we die and stay dead (what some have called "soul sleep") until Jesus returns.  Obviously, the passage states that those who have died with will rise from their graves FIRST.  Thus, the question of whether we die and stay dead until Jesus returns, then rise, and afterwards the living when Jesus returns get to go with Jesus and the rest to be with the Lord FOREVER.  The key point is we, who believe, will all be with Jesus forever.  As I noted on Sunday, Jesus pointed out that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were alive and WITH God, at the time God visited Moses.  Thus, Jesus said, "God is the God of the living, not the God of the dead.  That's enough to convince me that Paul's point was not made to establish that those who have died remain dead until Jesus returns, but that those who have died see Jesus FIRST. 

If we do, indeed, stay dead until Jesus returns that's okay by me, because it would be sort of like falling asleep.  We don't have any idea how long we sleep before we wake again. It could be a couple of hours or ten, since there's no sense of time when we're sleeping.  That's what  the "soul sleep" crowd believes as well.  Either way, we "wake up" after we die WITH JESUS FOREVER, and that's the key!

Let's pray:  Heavenly Father, Thank You for the promise of eternal life through Jesus!  Fill us with the Holy Spirit that we may glorify You all the days of this life, and life forever with You in the next.  This we pray in Jesus' name.  Amen.